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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26087647">We'll Have Tomorrow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws/pseuds/RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws'>RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>We'll Have Tomorrow Series [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Billy Hargrove Being an Asshole, Canon Compliant, Canon Dialogue, F/M, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Mutual Pining, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, Stranger Things 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:49:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,840</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26087647</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws/pseuds/RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>River Matthews, also known as 004, and Hawthorne Matthews, 004.5, were trying their hardest to live a normal life. Or, as normal as that got for them. They'd been hiding in plain sight for years now, when suddenly, they get dragged back into the weird happenings in Hawkins.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nancy Wheeler/Jonathan Byers/Original Male Character(s), Steve Harrington/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>We'll Have Tomorrow Series [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi, everyone! I also have this posted on tumblr, wattpad, and quotev. If you like this story, please leave kudos and a comment. It would be much appreciated.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing that told River something was wrong was the screeching she heard from across the street. The game of street hockey she’d been playing alone went completely forgotten the moment she heard it. It filled her with a sense of dread and made her stomach drop. She knew that sound anywhere, and it terrified her all over again. What was worse was when the screeching suddenly grew quiet.</p><p>Gripping her hockey stick tightly, she brought herself to walk over and investigate. She didn’t quite know the people who lived across from her, but she’d talked to Mrs Henderson once. She seemed nice enough, as did Dustin.</p><p>If that sound was coming from their house, River needed to make sure they were okay. She would hate herself if she didn’t. Part of her also hoped she’d been mistaken. But what else could make such a harrowing sound like that?</p><p>River knocked on the door. All she heard from the other side was someone yelling (Dustin, she guessed), followed by a string of curses. When the door opened, Dustin stood in the doorway. He cleared his throat and tried to act casual, for whatever reason, which only made her even more worried.</p><p>“Hey. If you’re looking for my mom, she’s not here right now,” he said.</p><p>River shook her head. “No. I just heard something, and I thought I’d see if you were okay.” She peered past him, checking for anything unusual.</p><p>“Nope. Everything’s fine. You must have heard Mews. He’s my cat.” He frowned a bit as he said it, but she wasn’t quite sure why.</p><p>“Are you sure? Because that definitely did not sound like a cat.”</p><p>Dustin sighed. “Shit,” he mumbled. “Okay, look. This is gonna sound crazy, but just bear with me for a second.”</p><p>River had a horrible feeling she kind of knew where this was going. And if that had been what she thought she heard, how was this kid even alive? She leaned against the doorway. “Try me.”</p><p>“Okay, so I may have a weird creature stuck in my cellar right now, and I don’t really know what to do about it now,” he explained. “You’re an adult, right?”</p><p>“I’m eighteen, so technically yes.”</p><p>“Good enough for me. I need to figure out what to do, and the older kids usually know what to do,” he said. Dustin joined her outside and closed the door behind him. River had no idea what he was talking about, but she knew the screeching had to have been one of those creatures the scientists from Hawkins Lab were so obsessed with, and it must be what he had trapped in the cellar.</p><p>Dustin was already taking off down the street. River sighed and followed after him.</p><p>“Wait, more people know about those things?” she asked.</p><p>Dustin nodded. “Yeah. Wait.” He turned to her. “You know about the Demogorgons?”</p><p>If she was going to help, she might as well explain herself. At least a little bit. “Um, If that’s what you’re calling them, yeah. I mean, I don’t know a whole lot, but I know a little.” That was the truth of the matter, because she’d only seen one maybe once before.</p><p>The gears in his head seemed to turn as he tried to decide what to make of that. Clearly, he had some questions, and that was what worried her. Maybe she should have stayed out of this. “How the hell do you know about all that?” he asked, leading her away from his house.</p><p>“I just do. It’s not really important right now. Where the hell are we even going?” She was blindly following him at the moment with no clue where he was going, or if he had a plan.</p><p>“The Wheelers’ house. Nancy and Mike might know what to do.”</p><p>While River didn’t exactly know Nancy Wheeler personally, she knew Jonathan was friends with her. Seeing as Jonathan was her only friend, she’d seen Nancy around, though she was usually accompanied by Steve Harrington. How she was going to help, River had no clue, and at this point, she didn’t really feel like asking. It sounded like it might be a long story.</p><p>For now, River followed him. Dustin at least seemed to have some idea of what he was doing.</p><p>When they arrived at the Wheeler household, she stood behind Dustin as he rang the doorbell. She was going to let him do the talking. He could explain things far better than she could.</p><p>“Your line has been busy for over two hours, Mr Wheeler. Do you realize that?” Mr Wheeler sighed and nodded, seemingly used to this kind of judgement from Dustin.</p><p>“Yes, I do.”</p><p>“Is Mike home?”</p><p>Mr Wheeler turned and yelled for his wife. “Karen, where’s Mike?”</p><p>“Will’s!” she answered from inside the house.</p><p>“He’s at Will’s.”</p><p>Dustin sighed and shook his head. “No one’s picking up there.”</p><p>River hadn’t been able to get a hold of Jonathan earlier, so she wondered if that had something to do with it.</p><p>“What about Nancy?”</p><p>Mr Wheeler called out to his wife again, who told him Nancy was at a friend’s house. River sighed. Clearly this wasn’t going the way Dustin had planned it, which meant they needed a new plan.</p><p>“Son of a bitch. You’re really no help at all, you know that?” Dustin started to walk away. River waved at Mr Wheeler and ran after him.</p><p>“Okay, so what now?” she asked. “Your plan didn’t really work out.”</p><p>“Yeah, no shit.” As he seemed to be thinking of a new plan, he looked over when a car pulled up nearby.</p><p>River was a bit surprised to see Steve step out with a bouquet. Although he was dating Nancy, it made sense when she actually thought about it. He seemed to be talking to himself (maybe working out what to say), when Dustin intercepted Steve before he could reach the door.</p><p>“Are those for Mrs Wheeler?” Dustin asked.</p><p>Steve raised an eyebrow. “No.”</p><p>“Good. She’s not home.” Dustin took the flowers and threw them back into Steve’s car. River honestly tried not to laugh, but she failed, letting out a snort. Steve rolled his eyes and went back to his car.</p><p>“What the hell?” he exclaimed.</p><p>“We have more important things than your love life,” Dustin insisted. He turned back to River. “This is my neighbor. River, right?” she nodded. “River, this is Steve. Steve, this is River.”</p><p>River waved, not even bothering to explain that she knew Steve. Maybe she’d never talked to him, but everyone knew Steve “The hair” Harrington.</p><p>“Now that that’s out of the way, allow me to explain a bit,” he continued. “I thought I had found a new species, so I kept it in my room. But then it kept growing. And now it’s locked in my cellar, and I need your guys’ help.”</p><p>“Maybe it’s a lizard,” Steve suggested.</p><p>“Dude. It ate my cat.”</p><p>River’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, you kept a Demogorgon in your house?” That part she didn’t know about, but the idea alone made her shudder. How could he keep something like that without either getting killed or freaking out?</p><p>“I think it was a baby Demogorgon,” Dustin explained. “I knew Dart was growing way too quickly, but I guess I didn’t think about it.”</p><p>“You named it Dart?”</p><p>“Yes, Steve. Keep up. His name is Dart, short for D’artagnan.”</p><p>River shook her head. She didn’t understand Dustin, but she definitely admired his ability to talk so nonchalantly about something so terrible.</p><p>“Do you still have that bat?” he asked Steve.</p><p>“The bat?”</p><p>“The one with the nails in it.”</p><p>“Uh, yeah.”</p><p>Dustin started to get in the car. “Good. You’re gonna need it.” He gestured for them to get in the car with him. Sighing, Steve and River shared an exasperated look and followed.</p><p>As she should have figured, the car ride mostly consisted of questions. Mainly from Steve.</p><p>“Okay, explain to me how the hell you know about any of this,” he said.</p><p>River sighed. She anxiously pulled at her sleeve, trying to decide exactly how to tell them without giving too much away. Which was difficult the more she thought about it. She had to give them some sort of answer, didn’t she?</p><p>“Trust me. I don’t really think you’d believe me if I told you,” she answered. “It’s a long story, and I’m not even sure if I’m supposed to tell you.” Besides, telling anyone wouldn’t only affect her, but it would also affect her brother. And while Hawthorne wasn’t here, that didn’t mean she could risk anything.</p><p>They were already pulling up to Dustin’s house. “We’ve been through a lot,” Dustin said. “I’m sure anything you tell us can’t exactly be more surprising than finding out about Demogorgons and the Upside Down.”</p><p>Maybe he had a point, but that didn’t exactly mean River could tell them. “Let’s just say that I don’t know a whole lot, but it might be enough to help you,” she sighed. “In fact, I might be way more helpful than you’d think.”</p><p>Steve parked outside the house and gave her a confused look. “Whatever the case, you know about things we thought only we knew.” She could tell he seemed a bit suspicious, and she didn’t really blame him for it.</p><p>River sighed and got out of the car, following Dustin across the lawn. “Sorry that I don’t exactly feel like spilling my life story to a bunch of strangers,” she mumbled. He only shook his head and followed along.</p><p>Dustin led them out to the cellar. Steve had his bat ready, and all River had on-hand was her hockey stick. It wasn’t as good a weapon, but it would have to do.</p><p>“So you trapped that thing down here?” Steve asked.</p><p>Dustin nodded. “You guys take a look, and I’ll stay behind,” he said. “Just in case.” Steve shook his head and slowly opened the door. Scared that Dart might jump out at them, River readied her weapon. Steve led the way, seeming to notice how eerily quiet it was just as she did. River was sure they’d notice if there was a Demogorgon by now. When they didn’t spot anything, Steve took a look around and pointed at a hole in the ground.</p><p>River paled as realization started to set in. It wasn’t here, and that was somehow a whole lot worse.</p><p>Steve crouched down to look at the hole. “I think your little friend dug his way out.”</p><p>River heard Dustin rush down to take a look for himself. He cursed, clearly realizing the horrible situation they were in. River let out an exasperated sigh and started to pace around the room.</p><p>“Okay, so what now?” she asked. “There’s literally a baby Demogorgon on the loose, which I didn’t even know was a thing. And now I have to help a bunch of strangers find it because who knows what could happen if we don’t find it.” She was mostly rambling to herself.</p><p>Steve stood again and placed a hand on River’s shoulder to stop her nervous pacing. “We’re gonna find that thing,” he assured her. “How hard can it be to find a weird-lizard-thing?”</p><p>River shrugged. “A lot harder than you think.”</p><p>“Actually, I might have an idea,” Dustin cut in.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thanks to Dustin, they now had some semblance of a plan. They regrouped at the train tracks, and this time River dragged her brother along. In her mind, they could use as much help as possible, whether Hawthorne wanted to help or not. And it had taken a lot of convincing, which she’d expected. </p><p>The four of them were walking along the train tracks, laying down a trail of meat in the hopes it would attract Dart. </p><p>Hawthorne questioned how the hell he let his sister drag him into this. The last thing he wanted right now was to hunt down a Demogorgon. In fact, given the opportunity, he would bail. He wasn’t completely sure what was stopping him, but he had yet to try leaving them to their own devices. He trailed a bit behind the others, not really trying to be part of any conversation, though he listened in.</p><p>“The key to a girl is just acting like you don’t care,” he heard Steve say.</p><p>“Even if you do?”</p><p>“Yeah, exactly. Drives them nuts.” The heavy sigh that came from River almost made Hawthorne laugh.</p><p>“That’s the worst advice you could give the kid,” she argued. “Dustin, don’t listen to him.”</p><p>“Oh really? And what do you suggest he should, since you’re such an expert?”</p><p>River rolled her eyes. “I’m not. I just have common sense,” she said. “And, you know, I’m a girl, so I feel like that gives me a lot more credibility than you, Harrington.”</p><p>Dustin glanced between the two, clearly confused. Hawthorne could hardly blame the kid. These two were not helping, not that he’d be any more help then them.</p><p>Steve simply ignored her and continued on with his iffy advice. Though he didn’t bother to voice his opinion, Hawthorne also disagreed with Steve. He couldn’t help but wonder what every girl saw in him. Sure he was kind of good-looking. And his hair was a whole bullet point of its own. But Hawthorne couldn’t think of much beyond that.</p><p>He snapped out of his deep thought when Steve stopped and turned to Dustin.</p><p>“You’re not falling in love with this girl, are you?”</p><p>Dustin shook his head. “No. No.” Hawthorne could tell that had to be a lie.</p><p>“Okay, good. Don’t.” Steve continued walking and reached into his bucket. “She’s only gonna break your heart, and you’re way too young for that shit.”</p><p>Hawthorne sighed. “You know, you don’t have to impress a girl for her to like you,” he blurted out. Dustin turned and gave him a surprised look. Maybe because this was the first thing he’d said the whole time.</p><p>“Don’t quote me on this, but I don’t think all that stuff Steve told you is really necessary,” he said. “This is really cheesy, but you should seriously just be yourself. The Snow Ball is coming up, right?”</p><p>Dustin nodded.</p><p>“There’s your opportunity to tell her you like her. Maybe invite her to dance.”</p><p>“Since when did you become a relationship expert?” River asked.</p><p>Hawthorne shrugged. “I’m not. I just have common sense.”</p><p>“Wow, okay. I see what you did there.”</p><p>With the arguing aside, it didn’t take long for them to reach the junkyard. According to Dustin, they’d have some help as soon as they met up with his friends. </p><p>As they dumped out the last of the meat, someone called out to them. Hawthorne turned to find who he was assuming were Dustin’s friends. </p><p>Dustin appeared to be staring at the girl, Max if Hawthorne remembered correctly, which they all seemed to notice. That must be the girl he’d been trying so hard to impress. Hawthorne honestly felt kind of bad for the kid. It was so easy to tell he really liked her, even just from the way he looked at her so longingly. He had to admit, it was kind of adorable in a strange kind of way. This kid really needed help badly, and Steve wasn’t exactly providing him with top notch advice.</p><p>Perhaps Hawthorne could help him out later, when they weren’t searching for a dangerous inter-dimensional creature. Assuming they all made it out in one piece, which was a slim chance. Maybe he was just being pessimistic, but that was the unfortunate truth of the matter.</p><p>As the rest of them worked on fortifying the bus, Hawthorne noticed Dustin pull Lucas aside, their voices hushed as they hid behind a broken down car. Figuring it had something to do with Max, he didn’t bother interrupting the two, even if they could use their help.</p><p>Hawthorne focused back on helping the others for now. They needed to have cover before the sun went down, which would be soon. He snorted when Steve went over to grab Dustin and Lucas’s attention.</p><p>“Hey, dickheads!” Steve exclaimed. “How come the only ones helping me are the twins and some random girl?”</p><p>They both went back to helping, and with the six of them, it didn’t take long. Steve was pouring gasoline around the bus as they were finishing up. Before it could get too dark out, they all gathered inside the bus and hid. Now, it was simply a matter of waiting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucas volunteered to keep an eye out from a safe spot on top of the bus. That meant the rest of them just had to sit inside and wait. </p><p>Dustin was already pacing, and Steve was playing with his lighter. River wasn’t feeling any less antsy than both of them. Max kept glancing between the four of them, seemingly trying to process everything from what River could tell. She hardly blamed Max for her disbelief. This was a crazy thing for anyone to wrap their head around. </p><p>Even with the extra information she had, River still was having a hard time herself. Or maybe it was more that she couldn’t believe she was actually having to deal with something she’d hoped she’d escaped for good.</p><p>“So, you really fought one of these things before?” Max asked. River and Steve both gave a simple nod in response. In River’s case, that was kind of an understatement. While she was terrified of the Demogorgons and hadn’t actually fought one before, she wasn’t going to let them deal with it alone. Plus, she’d be quite a bit of help to them, whether they knew it or not.</p><p>“And you’re a hundred percent sure it wasn’t a bear?” River only wished that were the case. They wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble for a bear.</p><p>“Don’t be an idiot, okay? It wasn’t a bear.” River was certainly surprised by Dustin’s response. This kid wasn’t actually taking Steve’s advice, was he? At this rate, he wasn’t going to win Max over at all. </p><p>When Dustin continued to get on her case, Max left to join Lucas.</p><p>“That’s good,” Steve said. “Show her you don’t care.”</p><p>“I don’t.”</p><p>Steve winked, and Dustin just looked at him weirdly. “Why are you winking, Steve? Stop.”</p><p>River felt like she had to help fix this situation somehow. “God, Dustin. Don’t listen to him. Being a dick isn’t going to get you anywhere.”</p><p>“This works all the time, the kid is going to be fine.”</p><p>She sighed and rolled her eyes. “What? Because that’s what you do with every girl you come across?” she asked. </p><p>Steve sputtered, trying to come up with an equally sarcastic answer. He shook his head.</p><p>“I don’t see you doing any better,” he said.</p><p>“Even if I wanted to, my dad would never let me get near another guy.”</p><p>“Dad would kill you,” Hawthorne added. “Because he’s an abusive asshole who doesn’t let either of us do shit.” He said it so casually, as if he was stating something as simple as the weather. She hated how easy it was for her brother to just bring up things like that.</p><p>River shot him a look of disbelief. If she had something to throw at him, she would have done it already. </p><p>“Dad is just…overprotective,” she corrected.</p><p>“Oh, and I’m sure that’s why he hits us.”</p><p>“Yeah, woah. That is not overprotective,” Steve agreed. “How have you not told someone about this?”</p><p>Deep down, River knew they were both right, and she should have done that by now. She was way too scared to do anything about it though. </p><p>“It’s not that easy,” she said. “I want to but…he’s kind of the only family we have left.”</p><p>“I’ve been trying to tell her that we need to do something about that shit.” Hawthorne sighed. </p><p>“Yeah, that doesn’t sound too good,” Dustin said. “Maybe Hopper could help after all of this is over.”</p><p>Getting the police involved was the last thing she wanted, much less the chief. That would only make things worse.</p><p>“I’ll figure something out, okay? I already have way too much to worry about on top of all this,” River claimed. “Dad’s already going to be pissed by all the detention I’ve been getting.”</p><p>“Wait a second.” Steve seemed to be having an epiphany. “You’re the one who pulled the fire alarm last week,” he realized.</p><p>“It was the only way I could think of getting out of P.E.”</p><p>“You know, normal people skip class or fake being sick.”</p><p>“Looking back on it, not my best moment, I’ll admit. It was pretty stupid, actually. And I don’t know if you noticed, Harrington, but I’m hardly normal,” River countered. “Everyone at school already thinks I’m a freak anyways. I can hear them thinking it.”</p><p>“Thinking it?”</p><p>She sighed and shook her head, hesitating a bit before attempting to explain. “Alright, this is gonna sound crazy, but I can hear people’s thoughts.”</p><p>Dustin and Steve shared a shocked look. “Wait, you can hear people’s thoughts?” Dustin clarified.</p><p>“That’s what I said, yeah.”</p><p>What am I thinking about right now?”</p><p>“Max and Dart, mostly.” She could tell he felt bad about being such a jerk, and clearly he was still worried about Dart on top of feeling bad for keeping a secret form his friends.</p><p>Dustin’s eyes widened. He had the most excited look on his face. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “You’re like El.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“El. She’s our friend,” he explained, his expression turning grim. “Or, she was anyways. We called her El, short for Eleven.”</p><p>“Like the number Eleven?” River asked, slowly realizing something.</p><p>Dustin nodded. River shared a knowing look with her brother, which he definitely appeared to notice. </p><p>“Do you know her?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed. She was starting to understand just how smart this kid was. They couldn’t keep everything to themselves for much longer, that much was clear to her now.</p><p>“No,” River hesitated. And that was definitely the truth. “Not personally. But, that isn’t to say we don’t understand what you’re getting at.”</p><p>Dustin’s eyes widened as he was putting two and two together. “Wait, so if you guys have cool powers and shit, does that mean you guys came from Hawkins lab, too?” he asked.</p><p>River was debating on her answer. There wasn’t much use hiding things anymore, clearly. She nodded and pulled up her sleeve, revealing a number tattooed along her forearm. 004.</p><p>Hawthorne sighed, giving in and showing his as well. 004.5.</p><p>Before she could say anything else, a loud growl sounded from nearby. The four of them scrambled to look out the window, their eyes scanning for any sign of Demogorgons.</p><p>Dustin called out for Lucas, hoping his vantage point would help them out. While they couldn’t see any from inside, he had a lot more luck than they did.</p><p>“Ten o’clock! Ten o’clock!” </p><p>Sure enough, there was one waiting outside, only a few yards away. And if River knew anything about Demogorgons, which admittedly wasn’t very much at all, one could possibly mean there were more.</p><p>“He’s not taking the bait,” Steve realized. “Why is he not taking the bait?” </p><p>“Maybe he’s not hungry,” Dustin suggested.</p><p>That answer didn’t really sit well with her. It just didn’t make sense. Those things always seemed to be hungry, so why not now?</p><p>“Maybe he’s tired of cow.” </p><p>River’s eyes widened as she realized what he was talking about. “There’s no way you’re going out there,” she said, though he didn’t seem to be listening. </p><p>Steve was already grabbing his bat despite Dustin’s worried protests. He tossed his lighter over to him, a determined look on his face.</p><p>“Just get ready.” Before anyone could stop him, he stepped out of the bus.</p><p>Hawthorne shook his head and watched from the window again. “He’s got a death wish,” he mumbled. </p><p>River watched with bated breath as he tried to get the Demogorgon’s attention. Max rushed down the ladder to join them, squeezing in between River and Dustin. </p><p>“What’s he doing?” she exclaimed.</p><p>“Expanding the menu.”</p><p>“Getting himself killed.”</p><p>“Being a total idiot.” River crossed her arms. “There’s not a chance in hell he’s getting out of this on his own.”</p><p>She watched as he pressed on. Maybe he was an idiot, but she had to give him credit for being brave as hell. Or perhaps the two were connected. Brave, stupid, or maybe both. Both sounded good. </p><p>Lucas called out as another Demogorgon appeared from the fog, and it had friends slowly surrounding Steve. Dustin made a dash for the front of the bus and opened the doors, trying to give him an opening to escape. Judging by how many there were, she doubted he would make it in time. </p><p>River bit her lip and looked around for her hockey stick. She didn’t have the slightest semblance of a plan, but that wasn’t what really mattered to her right now. Grabbing her hockey stick, she pushed past the kids, her brother grabbing her arm.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing?” Hawthorne’s grip didn’t loosen much when she tried to pull away. </p><p>“He’s an idiot, but I’m not letting him get killed,” she explained, pulling free of his grip after a moment. </p><p> </p><hr/><p><br/>Despite her brother’s protests, she ran out the doors and went to help Steve, who was thankfully fighting back. She got in a good hit on one that was sneaking up behind him.</p><p>It was going well all things considered, but there were a lot of them, and her hockey stick was only able to handle so much force. Cursing under her breath, she eventually tossed it aside and opted to just use her powers. She pulled Steve over and was able to temporarily make a force field over the bus as they escaped. </p><p>The kids were hollering for them to hurry and get inside where it was safe. River grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the bus, her focus faltering just long enough in the rush to get to safety for the force field to dissipate. She pushed him inside right before she felt something pulling her back. A Demogorgon had a grip on her foot, it’s teeth digging into her skin. She nearly tripped trying to pull herself free, but Steve grabbed her arm and pulled her in, causing both of them to topple over and hit the floor. Dustin closed the doors as soon as she was safely inside. </p><p>River tried to catch her breath and sit up. She winced, her leg protesting her movement. It was indescribable how much pain she felt just sitting up. It was like every nerve in her leg was on fire.</p><p>“You weren’t supposed to follow me out there,” Steve said as he sat up. “What the hell were you thinking?”</p><p>“I could ask you the same thing,” River retorted. “There’s no way you could have actually thought that was going to end well at all. Unless you’re that stupid.”</p><p>Steve didn’t have much time to respond. He was trying to keep the Demogorgons from getting inside. He was succeeding  mostly, but there were too many surrounding them, and they were clawing ferociously at all sides. </p><p>River tried standing, but her leg was still in way too much pain. She willed herself to stick it out and try to help him keep the creatures from getting inside. She could hear Dustin calling for help through his walkie-talkie, the horrid sound of claws scraping at metal, and Hawthorne trying to keep everyone else calm. Which wasn’t exactly going well. </p><p>Everyone froze as soon as they noticed a banging sound coming from above, followed by Max screaming. Steve pushed everyone back and wielded his bat, almost daring the Demogorgon to attack. </p><p>The most surprising part was when the creature paused and turned, as if it was being called to by some unseen force. It glanced back at them before stalking away. River wasn’t sure why it had left, but she didn’t think it could be for any good reason. </p><p>Clamoring over to the door again, the group slowly opened the door, Steve being the first to exit in case of a surprise attack. They could see the last Demogorgon fleeing, meaning they were safe. For how long, she wasn’t really sure, but River was sure they wouldn’t have long.</p><p>“What happened?” Lucas asked, peering around in confusion.</p><p>“I don’t know.”</p><p>“Steve scared them off.”</p><p>“No. No way.” Steve turned to them as he had a realization. “They’re going somewhere.”</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How exactly are we planning on finding them?” Hawthorne asked. He was holding onto River, letting her use him as support. Normally, he’d get on her case for doing something so stupid, but now hardly seemed like the time. He was just glad she wasn’t dead or in worse condition than she was now. </p><p>“Hawkins Lab,” Lucas answered. “It looks like they were headed there, so it’s the best place to start.”</p><p>Dustin scoffed. “Of course it would have to be there,” he said. “At least Dart’s okay.”</p><p>“You’re positive that was Dart?”</p><p>“Yes. He had the exact same yellow pattern on his butt.”</p><p>“He was tiny two days ago,” Max clarified.</p><p>“Well, he’s molted three times already.”</p><p>Steve didn’t seem to be following. “Malted?” </p><p>“Molted. Shed his skin to make room for more growth,” Dustin explained. “Like hornworms.”</p><p>“Well, when’s he gonna molt again?” Max asked.</p><p>“It’s gotta be soon.”</p><p>Hawthorne tuned out at this point, especially when Dustin and Lucas started arguing. He didn’t care too much to listen to their bickering, so he turned to his sister.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” he asked, looking down at her ankle. The bottom of her jeans were slightly torn away, and the bite didn’t look too good. It wasn’t bleeding very much, but there was broken skin and horrendous bite marks. </p><p>“I’m fine,” she said. “Really, it’s not the worst I’ve been through, and you know it.”</p><p>“Doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry.” Hawthorne sighed and shook his head. “I swear, you’re going to get yourself killed one of these days.”</p><p>River grinned and nudged him playfully. “At least then you wouldn’t have to deal with having a twin to share everything with.”</p><p>“And celebrate our birthday alone? Tempting, but I think it definitely wouldn’t be the same,” he admitted. “Besides, who else would give me heart attacks on the daily?”</p><p>River laughed dryly and shrugged. “I’m sure you’d get over it.” She winced when she accidentally put too much weight on her injured leg.</p><p>“You know, you should have just let me carry you.”</p><p>“You’d never let me live it down if I had,” she said. “I’d rather lose my leg than damage my pride like that.” She might have meant it as a joke, but he knew there was more truth to that than one might think.</p><p>Steve yelling for attention brought Hawthorne back to the moment. It was then that he finally noticed the growling sound coming from a distance. Silently, he hoped it wasn’t Demogorgons, though he knew it couldn’t be anything else.</p><p>Steve took off in the direction the sound was coming from. Max protested, and he thanked God he wasn’t the only one questioning the sudden rush into possible danger. Putting his fear aside, Hawthorne pulled River along with the others, careful not to hurt her too much with how fast they were going. Max wasn’t far behind, and she even tried to help, much to River’s dismay. If he knew anything about his sister, he knew how much this must be hurting her pride. As of right now, she could hardly even stand, and that alone must have made her feel weak. Something he knew she hated more than anything.</p><p>They stopped atop a hill overlooking a great amount of the forest. There weren’t any Demogorgons to be seen, but the sound was unmistakable. Lucas scoped out the area below through his binoculars, easily pointing out Hawkins Lab.</p><p>“They were going back home,” he realized.</p><p>Hawthorne already had a feeling of dread overtaking him. Hawkins Lab was the last place he wanted to be. Especially after the last time. They had yet to explain themselves, but he hardly thought he could keep their secret for much longer. Dustin clearly had most things figured out already.</p><p>It was only a matter of time before they would have to explain that they’d been tested on in that damn place. River and Hawthorne might as well be returning home as well, if he could even call it that. Hawkins Lab was never really a home, but neither was their house. He’d gone through so much escaping the lab, then dealing with the abuse their father put them through. Surely he could help fight off Demogorgons after all that, right?</p><p>Yet, Hawthorne almost felt sick at the thought of even going near the lab, much less going inside. That would be even worse. River seemed to be having similar thoughts, and she gave him a sympathetic look as she read his thoughts. He was used to her doing that, and by now he could tell when she was doing it. Like he could feel her presence inside his mind whenever she did. </p><p>River didn’t look half as mortified as he felt, but she was always better at putting up a brave front than he was. Deep down, maybe he would always be scared of everything that went wrong in his life. He couldn’t help it, but it made him feel worse when he thought about it. So, he tried not to. Right now, he was focusing on following the rest of the group as they headed towards Hawkins Lab.</p><p>The trees began to thin out, and Hawthorne could see the edge of the forest thanks to the flashlight he was holding in his free hand. As they approached the lab, a voice called out to them.</p><p>“Who’s there?”</p><p>Once they’d cleared the forest, he could make out Nancy and Jonathan standing a few feet away from them. </p><p>“Steve?” they exclaimed simultaneously .</p><p>Nancy scanned the group, her brows furrowed as they approached. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“What are you doing here?” Steve countered.</p><p>“We’re looking for Mike and Will.”</p><p>Dustin peered past them. “They’re not in there are they?”</p><p>“We’re not sure.”</p><p>“Why?” </p><p>The screeching coming from inside the lab answered Jonathan’s question, for better or for worse. Everyone began talking over each other, trying to ask questions and figure out what the hell was going on.</p><p>They were disrupted by Nancy, who pointed out that the power was back on. Jonathan rushed over to try opening the gate, but it didn’t move at all. Dustin tried giving it a shot, though he didn’t appear any more successful. </p><p>As much as he didn’t want her to leave his side yet, River left him to try and help. After pushing the button relentlessly, Dustin managed to get the gate open. Jonathan took off in his car with Nancy as soon as it was open. They waited nervously, and Hawthorne hoped things weren’t about to get much worse.</p><p>They hadn’t been gone long before Hawthorne spotted them speeding back. A car pulled up next to them, Chief Hopper of all people in the driver’s seat, rushing them to get in the car. He helped his sister in as quickly as he could. Hopper took off quickly once everyone was in.</p><p>Hawthorne had no clue where they were headed, but he started putting it together as when he noticed what direction they were headed. He’d only been to the Byers house a handful of times to talk to Jonathan, but he started putting the pieces together when he realized that was the direction they were headed in. Sure enough, they pulled up to the Byers household, and Hopper rushed everyone to safety inside. He helped carry River over to the kitchen and look over her injury, and Jonathan’s little brother, Will, was set on the couch. He looked completely passed out, and it occurred to Hawthorn that he had no clue what was wrong with the poor kid.</p><p>In the kitchen, River was sitting atop the counter, wincing slightly whenever her leg moved too much. </p><p>“What the hell happened to you?” Hopper exclaimed. BY now, her leg looked worse. There was a significant—even shocking—amount of swelling and redness around her ankle. Hawthorne knew she’d probably be fine, but he couldn’t help worrying anyways, and it didn’t help that she didn’t look like she was in great shape.</p><p>“Demogorgon,” was the only explanation she gave, and that seemed to be enough for him. Hawthorne and Jonathan gathered up supplies from the bathroom to clean and wrap her leg in the meantime. </p><p>Hawthorne held her hand as Hopper cleaned the wound, which wasn’t his best idea. If she squeezed his hand any harder, she might just break it. </p><p>River hissed and pulled her leg away. “Fuck, that hurts!”</p><p>“It’s gonna hurt more if you keep moving.” Hopper finished and wrapped her leg to keep it from getting infected. “You’re lucky it’s not a hell of a lot worse than this.”</p><p>“Someone had to keep Steve from dying.”</p><p>“I had it under control.”</p><p>“You really didn’t.”</p><p>Dustin, who was sitting at the table, rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have cool powers that could have kept you from getting hurt?”</p><p>“Henderson, zip it. I tried my best, but I didn’t time things that well. The problem is, I’m not very good at using them, and I didn’t want to risk hurting someone by accident,” River huffed.</p><p>“I’m sorry. Am I missing something here?” Hopper asked. “Does no one think to fill me in anymore?”</p><p>“River and Hawthorne have powers,” Lucas said. “They’re like El.”</p><p>Hawthorne sighed. “Do you really have to go around telling everyone?”</p><p>“Everyone here already knows about all that. Is it really that bad?”</p><p>Hawthorne paused, unable to come up with a good enough response for once in his life. He could lie his way out of anything, but he was too far into this mess. </p><p>Lucas took his silence as a ‘no.’ </p><p>Hopper glanced between the twins, processing this sudden bout of information. “How long have you two been flying under the radar?”</p><p>Hawthorne shrugged. “Four years maybe?”</p><p>“And none of those nut-job scientists know you’ve been gone for so long?”</p><p>“They knew we’re gone,” River chimed in. “They just didn’t know where. Dad called it ‘hiding in plain sight.’ As far as they’re concerned, we might as well have left the state.” </p><p>“So, what? Acting like normal kids was supposed to throw them off your scent?” Steve asked. </p><p>Hawthorne nodded and ran his fingers through his red hair. He was sure he looked as worn out as he felt. “It’s been working so far, hasn’t it?”</p><p>Hopper appeared to be wracking his brain, though he wasn’t sure why he was as concerned as he seemed at the moment.</p><p>“Every time I think I’ve seen it all, and something comes along to prove me wrong,” he sighed. Hopper left them to their own devices, borrowing the phone. From the kitchen, they could hear him arguing with whoever was on the other line (the police, Hawthorne guessed, which felt rather ironic).</p><p>There was an awkward silence, as no one really seemed sure what to say at the moment. So they stayed that way for a few moments, the only sound coming from anyone being Hopper’s yelling.</p><p>As soon as Hopper hung up, they all turned to him, their hope slowly diminishing.</p><p>“They didn’t believe you, did they?” Dustin asked.</p><p>“We’ll see.”</p><p>Mike was the first to voice his anger. Hawthorne was getting a sense that he did that quite often, though he could hardly blame him. Hopper ordered everyone to stay put until help arrived.</p><p>Admittedly, no one seemed to really believe anyone would be on their way to help them any time soon. There wasn’t a whole lot about their situation that would exactly feel believable to an outsider. </p><p>Time ticked by slowly as they sat around, twiddling their thumbs and hoping someone, anyone, would come to their aid. The longer they waited, the more and more unlikely that seemed.</p><p>At some point, Mike had an epiphany, and the Byers took Will out to the shed to work out whatever was wrong with him. Something about the Mind Flayer, if he recalled correctly, whatever the hell that was. He’d gathered that the kids liked to name these creatures after their weird games. </p><p>Whatever the case, it didn’t seem like their plan was really amounting to much. The worst part was the sudden screeching coming from outside. It sounded distant, but they all knew immediately that it wasn’t a good thing to hear regardless.</p><p>Hopper came rushing back in, and everyone gathered in the center of the room. River stood in front of him, brandishing her hockey stick. It seemed like such a harmless weapon, especially compared to everyone else’s. The look on her face, somewhere between determination and fear, told him that she hardly cared. Like that wasn’t going to stop her from giving her best effort. </p><p>They waited in silence, and the room felt like it had gone still. For the first time in forever, Hawthorne felt like he was a part of something. Because despite the fact that he’d just met these people not that long ago, they all seemed so willing to protect each other, and it gave him a sliver of hope. Something he was admittedly a little scared to let himself have.</p><p>Hawthorne was immediately pulled back to reality when there was a thump just outside, and a Demogorgon came crashing through the window before the door swung open. The last thing he expected was to see a girl step through the doorway. </p><p>When Mike rushed over to her, he realized that this must be the girl Dustin was talking about in the junkyard, the one that seemingly disappeared. El was back.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>River had quickly gathered that the random girl that so easily killed a Demogorgon was El. Honestly, she was pretty impressed. Even more so when she said she’d be able to close the gate. </p><p>Hopper was more than willing to take her back to the lab. As soon as they took off, that left her, her brother, and Steve to look after the kids in the meantime. </p><p>They tasked themselves with shoving the Demodog into the fridge. River hoped Joyce wouldn’t freak out too much when she discovered it after the ordeal. She’d feel a little bad if she did. For the few moments that she’d seen Joyce, she seemed nice despite her frantic state. </p><p>“God, these things are freaky,” she mumbled. “They look like Audrey the plant or some shit.”</p><p>“What are you talking about?” Dustin asked.</p><p>River gave him a shocked look. “You know. Audrey? Plant that eats people? From Little Shop of Horrors?” She sighed. “It’s a great movie, and you guys suck for not knowing that. Heard it got turned into a musical a few years ago, or something.”</p><p>Clearly, they weren’t understanding, probably because she just had too much free time and watched lots of movies. She gave up on them and sat on the couch, waiting for something to do.</p><p>River hated sitting around and doing nothing, but it was all they could do for now. She was almost hoping for something exciting to happen, as much as she probably shouldn’t be. </p><p>As if she’d been given a sign, the roaring of a car engine alerted everyone, and Max scrambled to the window to look. She seemed a little worried. While River was by no means popular, she was observant, and knew a lot more than people might give her credit for. </p><p>The car sitting out in the driveway could only belong to Billy Hargrove, which would explain Max’s fear. He hardly seemed like a decent person, from what she’d seen.</p><p>Her suspicions were confirmed when Billy stepped out, and Steve went outside to deal with him. Whatever he was saying clearly wasn’t satisfying Billy. It didn’t help that the kids were all gathered at the window. They ducked as soon as he spotted them, and she had to keep them from freaking out too much. </p><p>Billy pushed past Steve, causing him to topple to the ground. He took a kick to the ribs before Billy barged in, slowly approaching Max. </p><p>River eyed him for a moment, hoping he wouldn’t try anything stupid. As luck would have it, he grabbed Lucas by the collar, trapping him. As he went off on the poor kid, she held the kids back for now, unsure what to do. She couldn’t just let him pick on a kid like that.</p><p>Lucas kicked him on the groin and escaped. River pulled him close, glaring at Billy. If looks could kill, he’d already be dead ten times over. </p><p>Impressively enough, Steve stumbled back in and decked him right in the face. It was creepy how Billy laughed and egged him on, as if he was enjoying this. </p><p>Steve tried to be civil and gave him a chance to leave, but he didn’t take it. It escalated quickly when Bill swung at him, turning into a full-blown fight. The kids were cheering on Steve, especially Dustin.</p><p>“Kick his ass, Steve!” he cheered. </p><p>Unsure what else to do, River stepped in, trying to tear them apart. Billy was a lot stronger than she had hoped, and it didn’t seem like he was going to give up. It didn’t help that River was still in pain, her leg protesting with every step she took.</p><p>As much as she didn’t really like Steve, the guy was losing horribly, and at least he was trying to protect the kids. She’d give him that much. River managed to pull them apart for a second, landing a hit on Billy. She’d at least busted his nose judging by the blood trickling towards his lips. He’d shaken it off pretty quickly and shoved her aside, her leg giving out under her. </p><p>The only thing she registered for a moment was Hawthorne rushing over to make sure she hadn’t been hurt more than she already was. Despite the fact that the room was spinning a little, she was fine. Or so she claimed. Her whole body was in way too much pain. </p><p>It was Steve she was worried about. Billy had him pinned down and was beating his face in. River watched as Max pushed past the boys and went over to her stepbrother. While he was occupied, she jabbed a syringe into his neck, taking him by surprise.</p><p>Billy stumbled back, a shocked look crossing his face. He pulled the syringe from his neck and threw it aside before falling to the floor with a thud.</p><p>River stood up, her lightheadedness nearly getting the better of her, and watched in awe as Max grabbed Steve’s bat. This kid was a hell of a lot braver than she seemed, and River really admired it. In Billy’s position, she would feel intimidated by her, even if she was a kid. Her threatening tone was just that; threatening, and surprisingly intimidating.</p><p>Max took Billy’s car keys, and it was then that River passed out from the pain. The last thing she remembered was Hawthorne picking her up, and then she was out like a light.</p><p>River wasn’t sure how long she’d been passed out, but by the time she came to, they were stopped outside in a field. Steve was freaking out, and from what she could tell, Max had attempted to drive Billy’s car while they were out. </p><p>“Maybe next time let someone else drive,” he exclaimed, looking at Hawthorne.</p><p>She watched as her brother’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “Uh, actually I have a confession,” he stammered. “I don’t know how to drive.”</p><p>Steve gave an exasperated sigh. It was then that River noticed just how bad his face looked after taking so many hits. His face was horribly bruised, and it made her wince just thinking about how much it must hurt.</p><p>“Hey, what are you doing?” The kids were setting up, what for she wasn’t sure, and ignoring him. “Are you deaf? Hello!”</p><p>Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and went over, limping a little. “Yeah, hey. Hate to be a buzzkill, but I’m with Steve on this one,” she cut in.</p><p>None of the kids seemed to be listening, and Dustin had a rather convincing argument of his own.</p><p>It didn’t take long before she was geared up with the goggles and bandanna he’d handed her. Sharing a look of dismay with Hawthorne, she followed after them, carefully climbing down into the tunnel.</p><p>There were spores drifting in the air like dust, but a hell of a lot grosser. She wasn’t much of a germaphobe, but it kind of grossed her out more than she cared to admit.</p><p>River wasn’t far behind Steve. Mike tried to lead them ahead, but Steve wasn’t having it. He made them stay behind him in case anything happened. Figuring it was the smart thing to do, she brought up the rear, in the event that something attacked them from behind.</p><p>Feeling a little more than grossed out the more they pressed on, she limped behind, failing to notice Dustin fall behind her. An oversight she would definitely notice as soon as she heard him screaming bloody murder. </p><p>As soon as he claimed he was fine, she let out a sigh of relief and helped him up.</p><p>“God, don’t give me a heart attack, Henderson.” River patted his back and pushed him forward again, where she could keep an eye on him.</p><p>They finally stopped where the tunnels converged into a central area. They quickly got to work, covering as much as they could in gasoline. They had to cover a lot of space for this plan to work. The more fire, the more it would hurt the Mind Flayer. And that was the most important part of the whole operation. </p><p>Steve gathered everyone behind him again, flicking open his lighter before tossing it. Flames erupted, consuming the walls of the tunnel immediately. They rushed out, sprinting back the way they came. </p><p>Mike tripped, his leg getting caught as he screamed for help. River took his arm, pulling him away as Steve hit whatever was holding him down. Worse yet, a Demodog found them. It snarled, bearing its many teeth.</p><p>Dustin realized this was none other than Dart. How the hell did this kid keep a creature like this in his room? It really was as big as a dog, and that alone was pretty terrifying.</p><p>River watched in horror as he approached Dart, and she readied her weapon in case he needed help. She had to give it to him; the kid was brave as hell for trying to talk to it. These kids were all braver than she previously assumed. It gave her a heart attack, but she admired it, really.</p><p>Dustin continued to reason with Dart as he pulled out a candy bar. It was insane that it even worked. He motioned for them to go on ahead while Dart was busy eating the candy bar. </p><p>After saying his goodbyes, a look of sorrow on his face, Dustin joined them again as they headed back to the entrance. As they were approaching, the ground rumbled, causing River to stumble back, her leg flaring up again from the fall.</p><p>Steve was nice enough to help her up and make sure she was okay. They were cut off by the sound of Demodogs roaring. Before they could waste any time, they were all running to the entrance again. </p><p>Sadly, River was falling behind, but Hawthorne pulled her forward, more worried about getting her out. The kids were the first to make it up, Steve made sure of it. Of course, Dustin was the last kid left when the roaring grew closer. Steve and River bother pulled out their weapons as soon as they could hear the Demodogs approaching. They were more than ready to protect him in case of an attack.</p><p>River braced herself, expecting an attack. She was shocked when they ran past them, as if they weren’t even there. Like they were running away. El must have closed the gate.</p><p>Taking this as their chance to escape, River helped Dustin up again, making sure he got up safely. Steve insisted she go up next, and she heaved herself up the rope, dusting herself off once she was above ground. Hawthorne joined them, and Steve was the last one out. </p><p>Just like that, it was all over. River hardly knew how to process the fact that they’d won, at least she hoped so.</p><p>Dealing with the aftermath wasn’t any more fun, either. After everything, River’s leg was causing her an excruciating amount of pain. And as much as she tried to hide it, there was no escaping the concerned looks from her brother. Naturally, he insisted that she sit down and keep off her leg, and he made a point of checking on her quite often. At some point, he tasked himself with changing out the dressing on her wound.</p><p>“You really need to be more careful,” he fretted. “I can’t believe I even let you walk around with your leg this bad.” Hawthorne sighed as he wrapped her leg again. By now, there really wasn’t as much blood, but it was very painful.</p><p>“It’s really not that bad.” The last thing River wanted was to burden anyone when she probably didn’t even have the worst injury by comparison.</p><p>Hawthorne paused and glanced up at her. “Like hell it isn’t. One of these days, you’re going to push yourself too far, and it’ll be a lot worse,” he said. “Especially because you never tell anyone out of, what? A sense of self-preservation?”</p><p>“I just don’t need people fussing over me when, in all reality, I’m fine and there are other people with a lot worse.” She thought about how much of a beating Steve had taken, and Will had been possessed literally about an hour ago. So was it really worth spending all the energy worrying about her?</p><p>He shook his head and finished. “Maybe, but I’m not concerned about other people. It’s you I’m worried about, and I hardly know enough about first aid to keep up with how reckless you are,” he said. “I’m not a doctor.”</p><p>River scoffed. “Gee. Thanks, McCoy.”</p><p>Hawthorne gave her a playful push and rolled her eyes. She laughed and sat back for now, letting her leg rest. After all they’d been through, she definitely needed it. Her leg would take time to get better, but it was nice knowing she had her brother looking out for her.</p><hr/><p>Now that everyone was trying to return to their normal lives (if they could even call anything about their lives normal), River and Hawthorne had to deal with going home. </p><p>Except they’d actually taken everyone’s advice and talked to Hopper about their situation. It was hard to talk about, and River didn’t really want to do it. Her brother had been far more eager to vent and open up to him. She only wished she could open up that easily.</p><p>Of course, he had to question them in order to get an investigation going, which was undoubtedly the hardest part for her. It was one thing to vaguely tell him the basics, but quite another to go into detail.</p><p>River sat at a table, the only other person in the room was chief Hopper. She wasn’t intimidated by him. He didn’t seem very scary, but maybe that was just her. Really, she just wasn’t the best with authority figures, especially the police.</p><p>“Has he ever hit you? Or your brother?” Hopper asked cautiously.</p><p>River looked down, her lips pursed and her anxiety at an all-time high. </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Is it a daily occurrence?”</p><p>“Unfortunately.”</p><p>“Anything else you need to tell me?”</p><p>So far, she’d had an easy time, but this was where she started having some difficulty talking about it. Up until now, she’d always justified her father’s abuse. Maybe it was to make herself feel better, but she knew deep down nothing about it was okay. That he shouldn’t have hurt them in the first place.</p><p>She went on to explain how he verbally abused them, though it was mostly focused on her brother. He’d had too many expectations for Hawthorne, but he could never live up to them. She’d always defended him. It wasn’t his fault he was more interested in practical things. Sewing, gardening, other things that weren’t conventionally “manly.” It was all just a bunch of bullshit in her opinion.</p><p>“My father. He, um, used to be a soldier before we moved here,” River explained. “That was a long time ago, but I think it changed him for the worse. He was probably the best father ever, but once mom died, it was like he suddenly changed.”</p><p>More than anything, she knew how much he loved her mother. She’d passed away from illness, back when they’d been stuck in Hawkins Lab, so they never got to say goodbye. And when they’d escaped and found him again, he was like a completely different person.</p><p>“Not that it justifies anything, but I don’t think mom passing away really helped,” she continued. “He tried to teach Hawthorne things he saw more fitting for a boy to learn, I guess. As bullshit as that sounds. It was like he was hellbent on making us as miserable as he was.</p><p>“When he was mad, dad really had a thing for punishment. He liked to lock us in the closet until he felt like we learned our lesson. Sometimes, that meant hours of being holed up in a dark closet alone.”</p><p>“Did he do that often?” Hopper interjected.</p><p>River nodded and refused to meet his eyes for a moment. “And since he didn’t think he could get through to Hawthorne, he had to move on, of course.” Her voice caught in her throat for a moment, and he gave her a reassuring look. </p><p>“I suppose, in a way, I was a project to him. Something he could have control over.” She hated thinking about all the days she spent training like he wanted her to. And when she wasn’t doing that, she was practicing whatever activities he wanted her to. Violin, ballet (like her mom used to teach), whatever he deemed a fitting use of her time. He wanted her to be perfect at whatever he chose for her. Complete control over everything she did. </p><p>He never even let her out of the house unless he knew where she was going, and even then, he forbade things like parties or meeting with friends (not that she had many), especially if boys were involved.</p><p>She explained all of this to Hopper, doing her best not to lose her cool. There was just so much to explain, and she felt like she could hardly cover it all.</p><p>“How long have you guys lived in Hawkins?”</p><p>“Six years, almost seven. Since I was about ten,” River answered. “We, uh, moved her from Russia, believe it or not. I’ve spent so much time learning English, and let me tell you. It’s not easy.”</p><p>“Why did you move?” Hopper inquired.</p><p>River shrugged. “A lot of reasons. Mom was sick, and there wasn’t much good in keeping her there, where she couldn’t get help. Dad also thought we’d have better chances living our lives out here, for whatever reason.”</p><p>There were a lot of reasons they left, and sometimes she greatly missed it.</p><p>By the end of her explanation, she was near tears. She wasn’t one to cry in front of others, so she held back as well as she could. Hopper gave her a pat on the back, and she flinched just a bit before relaxing and trying to pass it off as nothing.</p><p>“Hey, I’m gonna do whatever I can to get you out of this,” he assured her. “You and your brother. I know this is a lot for you both, but I’ll do what I can to make things at least a little better.”</p><p>River nodded, getting out of her chair and rubbing her eyes. Technically, they couldn’t go back home, so River and Hawthorne needed a place to stay. Apparently, Dustin had explained the situation enough to his mother, and she’d been more than happy to let them stay with them until everything was sorted out.</p><p>While she’d been hesitant to accept, Hawthorne urged her to give in, so now they were staying with the Hendersons. </p><p>River was walking back, her leg still a bit sore, and she finally letting loose a few stray tears. The wind blew harshly, red strands of hair obscuring her vision. She had a winter jacket on, but it was only doing so much to keep the cold from biting at her skin. Despite the cold, she found herself lost in thought, the few tears she let fall feeling even colder as they tried to freeze over.</p><p>This whole situation she was in really sucked. She was grateful for the help, but having to admit to the horrors of her home life for the past four years took a lot out of her. She was so absorbed in her sorrow, that she hardly noticed Steve pulling up beside her.</p><p>“I swear, you people need to get your ears cleaned.” She turned, raising an eyebrow. </p><p>“Can I help you, Harrington?”</p><p>He had a grin on his face, and she almost hated it. She couldn’t quite bring herself to feel even passive aggressive towards him, though. It felt too unwarranted at this point.</p><p>“Look, I can tell you’re trying to hide it, but clearly you’re not having a good time,” he said. “At least let me help. You don’t have to mope all the way back to Dustin’s house.”</p><p>"Thanks, but no thanks.”</p><p>Steve scoffed. “I’m getting the feeling that you don’t really like me.”</p><p>“Oh, whatever gave you that impression?” Before River could add to her sarcastic remark, he sighed and threw his hands up.</p><p>“I’m trying to be nice here,” he said. “I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot, but just let me fix things.”</p><p>There was a pause as River debated with herself. He did seem genuine in trying to help, and that made her feel a little bad for being a huge jerk.</p><p>“Besides, it’s snowing, and you’ll freeze before you make it back.”</p><p>Groaning, she gave in and joined him in his car. “You really are confusing, Steve Harrington.”</p><p>“What’s so confusing?” he asked, his grin appearing again. </p><p>River rolled her eyes as he started the car again. “I just don’t understand. You were such a jerk just last year.”</p><p>“Yeah, well a lot changed.”</p><p>She couldn’t say he hadn’t been helpful in defeating the Mind Flayer, and he’d been oddly protective of the children, even if he did seem fed up over watching them. And it was kind of nice, really, how quick he was to stand up for Lucas. As a matter of fact, he still had a few bruises.</p><p>“How’s your face?” she blurted out.</p><p>Steve chuckled and looked at her for a moment. “Is this your way of flirting?”</p><p>River couldn’t help it when his face warmed up a little at the idea. “Whatever. You know what I meant.”</p><p>He focused back on the road and shrugged. “I’ve felt worse,” he answered. “It’s not so bad now.”</p><p>River nodded, hesitating for a moment. “You know, I could fix it,” she offered. “Um, I have some healing abilities.”</p><p>"You’ve been holding back on me, Matthews?” he joked.</p><p>“Well, I mean, I can heal you. The only drawback is that I basically absorb your pain in place of it.”</p><p>Steve shook his head, not liking the sound of that.</p><p>“It’s not worth it,” he said. “I’m almost completely better anyways. What I’m more worried about is why you were so miserable a second ago.”</p><p>She sighed and worried the hem of her sleeve. “It’s no big deal. I’ll admit, I’m not the best with my emotions,” she said.</p><p>“Is it about your dad?”</p><p>“How could you tell?” River replied, her tone laced with sarcasm. She sighed and apologized. “It’s just…it’s a shitty situation, okay?”</p><p>“Well, no shit. That’s why I’m making sure you’re okay.”</p><p>“Jesus, why do you care so much?”</p><p>River hadn’t meant to snap. She really did appreciate his concern, but she was having a hard time accepting that anyone could feel so bad for her. She could feel the tears coming back, and wiped at her eyes, though it was a fruitless effort. By now, they were already parked outside Dustin’s house.</p><p>Giving her a worried look, Steve placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. “I know you don’t realize this, but after what we’ve been through, you’re part of this weird family now,” he said. “And we look out for each other. So don’t think that you have to go through this alone. Same goes for Hawthorne.”</p><p>His words surprised her a little. She’d never really seen him act so genuine. Wiping the rest of the tears from her eyes, she sighed and looked away for a moment.</p><p>River laughed dryly. “Told you I’m bad with my emotions.”</p><p>“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Steve said. “You’re not the only one. We’re all working through shit. It happens." </p><p>He rubbed the back of his neck. "Just, uh, don’t hesitate to talk to me. I know we don’t exactly get along well yet, and I totally get that. I used to be an asshole,” he continued. “But seriously.”</p><p>River gave him a slight smile and nodded. “Thank you, Steve.”</p><hr/><p>It took about a week for the police to finally get a case going and send Carter Matthews away, but he was finally as good as gone.</p><p>Realistically, Claudia Henderson would have happily let them stay as long as they wanted, but River knew they had to find a more permanent solution eventually. Besides, it was too risky, and the last thing they needed was for either of the twins to accidentally slip up and use their powers.</p><p>In a surprising turn of events, Hopper had proposed a plan of his own. He had already had El living with him, and maybe he figured two more super-powered kids couldn’t hurt, because he offered to take them in himself.</p><p>It held a lower risk of them getting caught since he already knew about their abilities, or at least that they had them.</p><p>It was the best option they had, so they took him up on his offer. He’d already cleared out rooms for them in his cabin, and they were allowed to take whatever they wanted from their house, which was abandoned now that their father was gone.</p><p>The same night of the Snow Ball, River and Hawthorne were going through their belongings, packing them into boxes. Hopper gave them some space for now, as he’d been helping El prepare for the dance. </p><p>River felt a little envious since she’d never been allowed to go to a dance before, but she pushed it aside. It didn’t matter much. She didn’t like things like that, so she probably wouldn’t enjoy it anyways. Too many people, way too much noise that would overwhelm her.</p><p>As River was packing up some of the action figures she had on top of her bookshelf, there was a knock on the door. Wondering who the hell it could be, she hurried downstairs and took a peek out the window.</p><p>To her surprise, Steve was standing at the door, shivering from the cold. She unlocked the door and let him in. </p><p>“Steve? Um, what are you doing here?” she asked.</p><p>He kicked off his shoes before entering. He wasn’t wearing a coat, just a long-sleeved shirt. A mistake, clearly. “Just came by to see how things are going.”</p><p>River raised an eyebrow and laughed a little. “Aren’t you taking Dustin to the Snow Ball?”</p><p>“Already taken care of.”</p><p>Shaking her head, she led him to the kitchen, she quickly made him some hot chocolate without bothering to ask, knowing he’d only decline.</p><p>She handed him the mug and leaned against the counter as he sipped at the warm drink.</p><p>“Seriously, what are you doing here?” she repeated.</p><p>“What? I can’t be a good person and check in on you?”</p><p>“Steve, we’re barely even friends, and it’s like you’ve suddenly decided to just barge into my life,” River said.</p><p>Sighing, Steve set down his mug and ran his fingers through his hair. “Like I said, just checking in,” he insisted. “I guess I just feel bad. I mean, for the longest time, I thought you two were weird for being so reclusive, but I didn’t realize it wasn’t really your fault. That, and I was the worst and didn’t think about anyone but myself anyways.”</p><p>“I think you’re a hell of a lot better now,” River assured him. “The Steve I knew before wouldn’t risk his life for a bunch of 13 year olds.”</p><p>There was a slight smile on his face, and she couldn’t help but think it suited him. It seemed so genuine, like he was actually happy. She wondered if she’d ever feel that way now that things were changing.</p><p>“I heard you guys will be living with Hopper now,” he said.</p><p>River nodded and played with the hem of her sweater. “Yeah, it’s probably for the best. He’s already got El, so it’ll help us lay low and figure out our powers.”</p><p>“What do you know you can do so far?” he asked curiously.</p><p>“Besides reading minds and healing? I know that I have this weird ability to control shadows and darkness, if that makes sense.”</p><p>“Uh, not really.”</p><p>“It’s like…okay, you know how, like, there are superheroes that can control water, fire, whatever?”</p><p>Steve nodded.</p><p>“It’s like that, except with…shadows? It’s kind of hard to explain, and super hard for me to control,” she said. “I, uh, don’t have a good track record of keeping it under control.”</p><p>Steve gave her a curious look, silently asking her to elaborate.</p><p>River bit her lip and sighed. “Okay, I’m about to tell you something, but this stays between us. Got it, Harrington?”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah. My lips are sealed.”</p><p>River hesitated for a moment before she explained herself.</p><p>“Okay, when I was ten, my family moved her to America. From Russia. And, of course, it’s kind of a process to officially immigrate and all, so it took some time. There were some bumps in the road for sure, and, at some point, things got a little complicated.</p><p>"We were having some issues, something about not having proper documentation, or whatever. And, I don’t know, things escalated a little, and of course more people got involved. But because I was little and didn’t know what was going on, I freaked out, and my powers went a little haywire.”</p><p>River sighed and looked down for a moment. “It’s my fault we got separated. If I hadn’t lost control, they wouldn’t have taken us away to experiment on my brother and I,” she said. “I’m what caused this whole mess.”</p><p>“Hey, hey. I’m sure your brother doesn’t blame you for anything,” Steve assured her. </p><p>River shrugged. “Maybe not. But I certainly blame myself.” She shook her head. “Whatever. It’s not a big deal. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”</p><p>Steve sighed and gave her a look of concern. Then he seemed to have a realization.</p><p>“Wait, so if you moved from Russia, I’m guessing River isn’t your real name,” he said. “Not exactly Russian sounding.”</p><p>He was more observant than she gave him credit for. “It’s not. My birth name is Vera, but only my brother really calls me that anymore,” she explained.</p><p>“And Hawthorne?”</p><p>“Anatole,” she answered. “His name’s Anatole. But I’m sure if you called him that, he’d kill you.”</p><p>They both shared a laugh, which was a first.</p><p>“Do you think you’ll start going by that again?” Steve finished his hot chocolate, though he had some on his upper lip.</p><p>River shrugged and handed him a napkin. “Maybe,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind it too much, but honestly, I don’t really care too much either way.” In her opinion, her name didn’t really matter so much in the grand scheme of things. It was a name, and just that. It seemed like such a mundane thing to fuss over after everything they’ve been through.</p><p>“Actually, Hopper got our birth certificates, and he had them changed,” she added. “So, legally my name is River Hopper now, so that’s a thing." </p><p>She surprisingly didn’t hate it. In fact, River could kind of get used to it. Maybe it would take her some time to warm up to Hopper, but he was already a hell of a lot nicer than their father was.</p><p>By now, Steve’s hot chocolate had gone forgotten. He perked up when he had a sudden thought.</p><p>“Oh, how’s your leg?” he asked. “It looked pretty bad.”</p><p>“Actually, it doesn’t really hurt much anymore,” River said. “I got a cool scar though, so that’s pretty cool.”<br/><br/>Steve laughed and shook his head. “What? So you think you’re a badass now?” he teased.</p><p>“Um, who said I wasn’t before?”</p><p>“Not to say you aren’t, but that’s my title, thank you very much.”<br/><br/>River hit his arm, only making him laugh more.</p><p>“Maybe I should have let the Demodogs eat you.”</p><p>Steve gave her a look of fake shock. “Wow, I’m hurt. After all the trouble I’ve gone through of being nice, and you want to throw me to the wolves…Demodogs? Whatever.”</p><p>River rolled her eyes and cleaned his mug once he’d downed his hot (more like lukewarm by now) chocolate. He tapped his fingers against the counter, fidgeting before speaking again.</p><p>“So, um, now that you’re gonna be moving in with Hopper, I’m guessing you’ll probably be celebrating Christmas with him and El,” he said. “I mean, I’m sure he wants to let El have a normal holiday celebration.”</p><p>“Probably. I don’t celebrate Christmas, though, so I’m not sure how all that works.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I don’t celebrate Christmas, Steve. I’m Jewish.”</p><p>“Oh.” Steve nodded, leaning against the counter. “Oh, that’s cool. I mean, I don’t know anything about that, but you know.”</p><p>River laughed and dried off her hands. “It’s fine. Honestly, I’m not the best at keeping up with all the ins and outs of it,” she explained. “I mean, my parents were a lot more religious than me to begin with, but I don’t know. Maybe one day I’ll get back into that once my life is a little more normal.”<br/><br/>With so much going on in her life, other than working out her powers, she hadn’t found much time to get into the whole religion thing. Plus, her dad had fallen out of the habit himself, especially when he’d really gone off the deep end. </p><p>“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Steve shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Well, whatever the case, my parents are having a party, if you wanna stop by. I mean, you don’t have to, but it always sucks being surrounded by snobby adults.”</p><p>It wasn’t like she’d had any plans to begin with, unless Hopper had things planned. Sure, it might be a little awkward since they’d just barely started getting along, but it couldn’t hurt.</p><p>“Sure. I mean, I don’t really see why not.” </p><p>Steve grinned brightly. “Great! Uh, it’s in, like, a week, so don’t worry about it too much.”</p><p>It wasn’t long before he excused himself. The snow was piling up, and he wanted to get home before it got any worse. River had packing to finish anyways, so she showed him out and got back to work. Her Star Trek posters weren’t going to pack themselves. She’d appreciated the break, though, whether she’d actually admit that or not.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Settling in had taken far less time than Hawthorne anticipated. Then again, he hadn’t brought a lot with him when moving in with Hopper. He only packed what he didn’t think he could part with. Most of it was pictures, books, whatever he felt held some sentimental value. </p><p>The first night, dinner was a little awkward. Hopper tried more than once to get them to talk at least a little bit.</p><p>“So, um, you guys go to Hawkins High, right?”</p><p>Hawthorne nodded, silently eating the TV dinner he’d warmed up. </p><p>“Any extracurriculars? After school activities?” he pressed.</p><p>River shrugged, looking up from her dinner. “I’m in the science club, and I’m in orchestra,” she answered. “And sometimes I help work on the sets for the drama club’s productions.”</p><p>Hopper nodded, glad to be making some progress, and gestured to Hawthorne with his fork. “What about you, kid?” </p><p>Only recently, he started getting more involved in things around school. He wasn’t the most outgoing person, so he was hesitant to try things. Because of that, it was surprising even to himself when he decided to try out theater.</p><p>“I started theater this year.” Hawthorne sat back and crossed his arms. “Surprisingly, I don’t hate it.”</p><p>“Right. Don’t you kids have a performance after the break?”</p><p>Hawthorne nodded. </p><p>“Well, you fill me in on all that when it gets close,” Hopper said. “I’ll see about getting off work early that day.” He offered a slight smile. Their dad had never really taken an interest in anything he did, so he was a little surprised, to say the least.</p><p>Dinner thankfully grew less awkward as it went on. River offered to help clean up alongside El, leaving Hawthorne to his thoughts at the table for a moment. He was still getting used to such a big change, and he at least appreciated the effort to help them assimilate. That being said, it was going to take time (how long, he wasn’t sure). There was no way to judge those kinds of things. </p><p>Later, in his room, Hawthorne busied himself with some light reading, doing his best to comprehend what he could, only to be interrupted when he heard a light rapping on the door frame. He looked up to see Hopper standing in the door. Setting his book aside, he scooted to the edge of his bed, Hopper taking a seat next to him. </p><p>There was an awkward silence that seemed to stretch on far much longer than he would have liked. Hawthorne stayed silent, letting him collect whatever thoughts he might be having. </p><p>“I know this isn’t easy for you guys,” Hopper started. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I just want you to know that I’m not going to push you guys to talk to me or anything. I want you to take your time. Get comfortable. And know that I’m here to help.”</p><p>All Hawthorne could really offer was a nod and a slight smile. He couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate the effort, because he did in a way. It was just new, and he didn’t know how to respond to it properly. He seemed to understand that, thankfully, and smiled in return, patting him on the back. </p><p>It was at least nice knowing that things might get better from here on out. That was the hope, anyways. Despite how long it took, he was just glad they finally left their dad behind. It was better this way, and Hawthorne knew that.</p><p>Life went on like this for almost a week. Hopper was constantly doing his best to make them feel welcome and comfortable. It wasn’t so difficult to be around El, either. Going through the same traumatizing experiences can really bring people together, he realized. None of them talked about Hawkins Lab, or anything related to that, if they could help it. BUt the knowledge alone of having that commonality made things a little easier on all three of them. </p><p>With Christmas creeping around the corner, El wanted to make cookies (something she said she’d seen people do on tv). Hopper claimed he wasn’t so good at cooking, baking, or much of anything when it came to food. That is, unless it was breakfast.</p><p>Thankfully, Hawthorne and River were good at that. With how often their dad was gone, they’d learned long ago how to cook and bake for themselves. Hopper bought everything they’d need and let the kids get to work. </p><p>Somehow the flour ended up on their clothes more than it did in the bowl. It was nice to have a laugh over it, though. El was mostly excited for the decorating part of the process. River was decent when it came to art, so hers ended up looking the most appealing. </p><p>El’s definitely looked like a kid made them, but that was to be expected, and they didn’t really look too bad. Hawthorne made some gingerbread men and left streaks of red frosting, almost like a tasty murder scene. </p><p>Hopper even offered to decorate a few, and his were about as good as El’s. </p><p>Hawthorne went to change his shirt as soon as they were done, and when he came back, Hopper called him and his sister over to the living room. Curiously, he went over and took a seat. He had two wrapped boxes in his arms. Presents, it seemed.</p><p>“But Christmas isn’t for a few more days,” River said as he handed the gifts over to them. </p><p>Hopper grinned and took a seat in his favorite chair. “Yeah, but I know your birthday was last week, so I got you guys a little something.”</p><p>It hadn’t really occurred to him that they even missed their birthday. The 14th had come and gone in the blink of an eye, and they’d been so busy packing up that he’d almost forgotten. Not that it was any different considering they usually just made a cake and celebrated by themselves.</p><p>Hawthorne’s curiosity got the better of him, and Hopper seemed clearly excited for them to open his gifts. Ripping the paper and tossing it aside, Hawthorne opened up the box to find some books. Admittedly, he immediately started looking through them excitedly. </p><p>It was clear to Hopper that he was enjoying his present. “I noticed you like to read,” he said. “I don’t know what kind of books you like, but hopefully you like those.” Hawthorne gave him a slight smile. He was always happy to have new books, so he was more than willing to give them a read either way.</p><p>River opened up her present, pulling out some comic books. Even if she didn’t say so, he could tell she was overjoyed. There was very little she loved more than reading comics. He even noticed they were mostly Superman comics, which were her favorite. She’d enjoy the hell out of those.</p><p>Both of them gave him a smile, which was enough for him to tell they appreciated the gesture. Hopper didn’t have to get them gifts at all, especially since their birthdays had passed, but the fact that he had was enough for them to realize that he wasn’t all that bad. Not that they really thought he was, but it was hard being around someone new after years of living with someone as terrible as their father.</p><p>As soon as he was back in his room, Hawthorne looked through each of the books curiously. As far as he could tell, a lot of them were classics, some of which he remembered hearing briefly about before. One that especially stood out, however, was War and Peace. He’d never actually read it before, but he was more than excited to. </p><p>One problem he knew he was going to have was reading words he didn’t know. He’d only started learning English about five years ago. And while his speaking was pretty much perfect (or so he assumed since no one had ever thought he was anything but American), his reading wasn’t quite one the same level. Practice made perfect, so he’d been told. So if anything, this was probably a good enough learning experience.</p><p>While he was having a little bit of trouble, he powered through it and read for over an hour. In fact, when dinner rolled around, he was still reading at the table. </p><p>Hopper didn’t object, though he was probably just glad Hawthorne was enjoying his gifts. </p><p>At some point, the table cleared after everything was cleaned and all the leftovers went in the fridge. Hawthorne sat alone for now, reading in silence as Hopper opened a beer for himself.</p><p>“You’re really liking that book, huh?”</p><p>Hawthorne looked up and nodded, a slight smile on his face. “Um, sometimes I have a he’d time reading it, but I think it’s just because English isn’t my first language,” he admitted. </p><p>Hopper nodded, taking a swig of his beer. “That just means you’ll have to practice,” he said. “I can make some cards for you, or something, like I do for El. Or you can practice reading out loud, and I’ll help you out.”</p><p>Really, that would probably be a big help. He knew his reading and comprehension was a big thing holding him back right now.</p><p>“Yeah, sounds good,” he said. </p><p>Hopper nodded and ruffled his hair before heading to sit back in his chair and watch TV. Hawthorne shook his head and fixed his hair before reading again. </p><p>He tried to focus on the words, but even words he did know didn’t always look right, and it almost frustrated him. He tried to slow down and sound everything out in his head as he pressed on. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair.</p><p>It was moments like this that made Hawthorne wonder if he was just dumb. This was something he felt he should already have a handle on, but he really didn’t. It was annoying, to say the least. He wasn’t sure what the problem was, and even worse, he couldn’t think of a solution.</p><p>As much as Hawthorne loved reading, he was just getting very frustrated with how hard it was for him. He powered through a few more pages before calling it a night.</p><p>He lay in bed, tossing and turning. School would be starting again in a few weeks, once the holidays had come and gone. A lot of his grades were fairly poor at the moment, mostly because he couldn’t just explain that it might be easier to read everything in Russian. Not that he’d ever tried, but it just made sense to him that reading in his native language would make his life easier.</p><p>Maybe he really was just an idiot. The thought plagued him, and he hardly got much sleep. All he’d been able to think about was how Hopper was going to see his grades once school resumed, and he’d probably think Hawthorne was an idiot, and that was something he didn’t want at all.</p><p>His thoughts kept him up for a while before he dismissed them and went to sleep. It was a problem he could address at another time. Or, if he really tried, he’d never have to.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christmas was less than five days away now. Nearly three days away to be precise. Which meant River was now stuck going to a Christmas party with Steve. She wasn’t much of a party person, but, if she remembered correctly, it was mostly going to be adults. Probably friends or colleagues of his parents. </p><p>Steve had been the one to open the door and let her in. Of course her first thought was about how huge his house was. She’d known his parents had a good amount of money, but she’d never been in a house this big before. </p><p>He must have noticed her awestruck expression as she glanced at all the art hanging in the walls, because he laughed. </p><p>River snapped out of her reverie and followed him up to his room. Even from here, she could hear the faint him of socializing downstairs, but it was barely noticeable. Besides, she had a bigger concern right now. </p><p>Steve’s room was hideous.</p><p>“Not to, like, insult you or anything, but what the fuck?” The wallpaper was a strange plaid pattern almost, and the curtains matched almost perfectly. It was horrible, and she was having a hard time focusing on anything but that.</p><p>“What?” Steve asked, still not catching on.</p><p>Rive snorted. “Steve, please never become an interior decorator,” she pleaded.</p><p>Steve rolled his eyes and fell back on his bed. “Shut up. This is the one thing in this house I have control over.”</p><p>“Then it’s even worse than I thought.” She laughed and took off her jacket, setting it on his desk chair. </p><p>Admittedly, it felt a little awkward being in his room, especially given the fact that just a few days ago, she still hated him. Maybe hate was a strong word, but she hadn’t liked him at all, that was for sure.</p><p>Steve probably sensed her apprehension and scooted over. “Don’t worry, Matthews. I won’t bite,” he joked.</p><p>River rolled her eyes and hesitated before sitting next to him. She wasn’t really sure what it was, but being in his room felt weird. Because of her dad’s rules, she’d barely even interacted with a guy outside of school, so this was a first. It wasn’t bad or anything, she just didn’t really know what people did in this sort of situation.</p><p>Luckily, Steve was a lot less awkward than she was, because he seemed to have a better idea of what to do than she did.</p><p>“How about we play a game?” he asked.</p><p>Of course, River was instantly curious as to where this was going. “Uh, sure.”</p><p>He sat up a little, a huge grin on his face. By now, she’d become accustomed to feeling worried when he had that look on his face.</p><p>“Okay, we’re going to play 20 questions, which is exactly what it sounds like. I’ll ask you a question, and you have to answer truthfully. Then you ask me something, and we keep going until we hit 20 of them each,” Steve explained.</p><p>“And any question goes?”</p><p>“Pretty much, yeah.”</p><p>River thought it sounded innocent enough. She nodded and let him start off with a simple question.</p><p>“What’s your favorite color?”</p><p>“Purple,” she said without hesitation. She thought for a second before asking, “Favorite movie?”</p><p>“Star Wars.”</p><p>“Which one?’</p><p>Admittedly, he hadn’t known there was more than one, but rather than owning up to that, he said, “Nope. That’s two questions, missy.”</p><p>River laughed and rolled her eyes as she let him ask his next question.</p><p>“What’s your middle name?”</p><p>“Which one?”</p><p>“Hm. American one.”</p><p>“Gwendolyn.” </p><p>Steve was secretly hoping it’d be something a lot more embarrassing from what she could tell. </p><p>River leaned back on her palms, chewing her lip as she thought. “Okay, what’s your biggest fear?” she asked.</p><p>Steve laughed and gave her a shocked look. “Already asking the deep questions, I see.” He paused as he seemed to be seriously considering the question. “I’ve always been pretty scared of scarecrows since I was a kid,” he admitted.</p><p>It wasn’t the answer she was expecting, but maybe that was what made it all the funnier to her. “Scarecrows?”</p><p>“Yeah. I mean, not really anymore, but they creeped me the fuck out as a kid.”</p><p>River snorted and shook her head. “Well then that doesn’t count,” she said. “What’s your biggest fear now?”</p><p>“Woah, who says it doesn’t count?”</p><p>“I do, Harrington. Now answer the question.”</p><p>Steve sighed and thought again, this time really wracking his brain for a more truthful answer. Not that he’d been lying, but he felt like that wasn’t the full truth.</p><p>“Well, if you want me to get deep or something, I guess I’m afraid that I’ll end up alone,” he said. </p><p>Somehow, that threw her off even more than the last answer. River didn’t really think he got insecure about those things, but she supposed it happened to the best of people. </p><p>“Dude, you’re Steve Harrington. Do you know how many girls I’ve seen swooning over you over the years?” She’d never really understood it, but at least it was the truth. Even now, when he was a lot better than just last year, she still didn’t quite know what the big fuss was.</p><p>Steve scoffed and propped himself on his elbow, turning to face her. “Things have changed for me since last year. I’m not nearly as popular as I used to be.”</p><p>She never really understood why that was so important. “So what?”</p><p>Seeing the incredulous look on his face was enough to make her laugh, which only made him roll his eyes. “What do you mean ‘so what?’ My life has been in shambles since.”</p><p>“Not really. You have friends, Harrington.”<br/><br/>“Yeah, a bunch of twelve-year-olds.”</p><p>River sighed and shook her head. Not quite what she meant, but that was her point. “Yeah, but you like them,” she said. “If you didn’t I don’t think you would have really risked your life to save them.”</p><p>“Or maybe I’m just that good,” Steve insisted. </p><p>“Harrington, you literally almost died to save Dustin.” And her, but that wasn’t her point, so she didn’t add that in. “I may not know you too well, but I think that’s about as close to a declaration of friendship as it comes for you.”</p><p>Steve ran his fingers through his hair, thinking over what she said. River could tell he knew she was right, but whether he admitted that was a whole other question. </p><p>“Alright, if we’re getting deep all of a sudden, I get to pry into your head a little.”</p><p>She thought that certainly seemed fair enough. Though she wasn’t sure how truthful she’d be depending on where this next question went.</p><p>He sat up now, a much more serious look on his face. “You’re like that girl…El? So, then you had to be trapped in the lab for some time, right?”</p><p>There weren’t many ways to avoid answering this one. On the one hand, she could probably lie or downplay the whole thing, but she doubted he’d buy that. If she’d learned anything, it was that Steve wasn’t stupid by any means. He wasn’t always the brightest at times, sure, but he wasn’t dumb at all, and he would never buy it if she tried to be anything but truthful.</p><p>“Well, yeah.” River shrugged and flopped back on the bed, refusing to meet his gaze just yet. “I mean, ever since I was ten. And then my brother and I…we escaped about three years after that.”</p><p>Steve seemed surprised to hear that. He nodded and gestured for her to go on.</p><p>“Um, I’m pretty sure the only reason we didn’t get caught was because my dad was trying his hardest to keep us from the scientists,” she added. “I think after not finding us for so long, they gave up searching.” That’s what she’d always assumed anyways. “That was like five years ago, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t just give up.”<br/><br/>He nodded, still absorbing all of the information. River was just grateful he hadn’t pushed her for more. She was surprised she’d even shared that much. Then again, he’d already seen the number on her arm when she’d showed them. And he was probably just as trustworthy as the rest of the kids.</p><p>“Can I see it again?” he asked suddenly. “Your arm?”</p><p>River hesitated for a moment before pulling up her sleeve and showing him once more.</p><p>“Holy shit.” Of course, Steve had already seen it before, but that didn’t mean it didn’t still shock him. After all, he was still wrapping his head around everything Dustin told him about El.</p><p>River nodded and pulled her sleeve back down after a moment. Before he could even think to ask anything else, his mom called them down for dinner.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Dinner went surprisingly well. Of course, Steve and River mostly just talked to each other, not wanting to have to interact with a bunch of nosy adults. In fact, any time an adult talked to them, they seemed to think she was his girlfriend, which she thought was absurd. Of course, Steve shut that thought down quickly, not wanting her to be uncomfortable. After all, he’d really just invited her over as a friend, not wanting to be alone. </p><p>The rest of the night, they stuck to his room, avoiding the loud group of people downstairs. </p><p>At some point, Steve even started playing some Christmas music. And at first, she wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not, but he was singing so badly. But eventually, they sat back on his bed, relaxing and simply enjoying each other’s company. That was when she heard him singing quietly to himself, and it sounded beyond amazing.</p><p>River didn’t want to say anything in case he stopped, so she was silent as she listened to him sing. Faintly, she could hear everyone downstairs, and the radio on Steve’s desk was playing quietly by now. Something about it all was soothing. This was probably the most calm she’d been in a long time, and she was trying to enjoy every second of it.</p><p>Once it was getting late, Steve drove her home so Hopper wouldn’t get worried. The flurries of snowflakes blew in the harsh breeze, making it nearly impossible to see. Maybe not the best time to be driving, but they’d certainly been in worse situations. </p><p>Conversation was light through the whole drive, but still enjoyable. By the time they rolled into the driveway, they were both silent until Steve turned to her.</p><p>“I know we had to deal with nosy adults, but I hope you had fun,” he said. </p><p>River smiled brightly and nodded. It hadn’t been so bad, really. And, in all honesty, she’d had more fun than she’d had in a long time. Maybe ever. </p><p>“Yeah, I definitely did,” she responded. “Then again, I have some pretty low standards.”</p><p>Steve laughed, looking forward again as the porch light turned on, meaning Hopper was definitely up. And more than likely, he was waiting for her to come in.</p><p>River paused for a moment, her mind racing as she considered asking him something. “Christmas is coming up. Obviously.” Only five days and it would finally be here. “You don’t really like being home, so I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day with us.”</p><p>Before he could respond and possibly shoot her down, she backtracked, fumbling over her words for a moment. “I mean, I know El would get a kick out of that. She loves you so far, and I think Hopper wouldn’t say it, but he likes you, too.”</p><p>Steve laughed at how awkward she was being. She wasn’t trying to be weird about it, but the last thing she wanted was for him to think this was her flirting or something of that sort. Really, she just wanted him to have a decent Christmas, and if that meant escaping his parents, she was glad to offer an alternative.</p><p>“Yeah, I think I’ll take you up on that.” He grinned. For some reason, one she didn’t fully understand, it made her sigh in relief, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.</p><p>“Good. I’ll, uh, tell Hop to expect you,” she said. “Goodnight, Harrington.”</p><p>He waved and said goodbye as she got out of the car and trekked up to the porch, quickly getting herself out of the cold.</p><p>Inside, River pulled off her boots and set them by the door so she wouldn’t track snow inside. She’d done that many times before, mostly because she forgot simple things like that every now and then.</p><p>As expected, Hopper was up, sitting in his chair while the TV played quietly, a beer in his hand. From what she could tell, Hawthorne and El must already be asleep, or at the very least in their rooms.</p><p>As soon as Hopper noticed she was home, he turned as she was walking over to join him. He let her settle on the couch before asking her anything.</p><p>“How’d your date with Harrington go?” he questioned, taking another swig of his beer. </p><p>River rolled her eyes and glanced at the TV. “It was not a date, for starters.” He only seemed to laugh at her insistence. “And second of all, it went pretty well, actually.”</p><p>“Glad to hear it,” he said. “I sure hope he didn’t think it was a date.”</p><p>She groaned, partially embarrassed by this line of questioning. “No, not as far as I could tell. You know, I can just be friends with him, right?”</p><p>“I’m not saying you can’t, but I am saying I know how boys are.”</p><p>The whole night, she hadn’t really picked up on anything like that from Steve. He really just seemed relieved to have some actual company, which she could totally understand. </p><p>“Steve’s changed a lot, and it continues to surprise me,” River admitted. “And trust me, if he hadn’t I don’t think I would have agreed to go. So I don’t really think anything you’re thinking of was on his mind. And I should know.”</p><p>Maybe she was still learning, but she could control her powers well enough to hear anything Steve might have been thinking. Of course, there was a certain line of privacy she never wanted to cross, so she wouldn’t have pried.</p><p>“Yeah, I know, kiddo. He’s not as bad as I expected, either.” She could tell he really meant it, and she had to agree. Steve was oddly full of surprises, and she had a feeling he wasn’t going to stop surprising her any time soon. </p><p>River stayed in the living room for a while. She tried to relax, either of them really saying much. It was a comfortable silence, though. Neither of them needed to say much right now, so they didn’t. </p><p>Eventually, she was growing tired, and her eyelids were growing heavy. </p><p>Hopper pulled himself out of the chair and turned the TV off. He ruffled her hair, a slight smile on his face. “Get some sleep, kid.”</p><p>River nodded and slowly got up, stretching her arms and legs, before dragging herself to bed. Sometimes, it was hard for her to fall asleep, but this was not one of those times. Over the last few weeks, she often found herself lying awake late at night, unable to do anything but think. </p><p>Her life was much better than it had been not long ago, but it was hard for her to really accept that. She was afraid she’d let her guard down, and the illusion of security would break. All of this might suddenly vanish, like a beautiful dream that she would never remember if she woke up. It might slip away from her forever.</p><p>Thankfully, she felt a lot less worried this time, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light. She couldn’t even remember having a nightmare, which was the first time she could think of that happening in a long time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hawthorne had been deep asleep until he felt someone shaking him awake, followed by the eager squealing of, “It’s Christmas!” It was El, and she had the brightest smile on her face, which he could just make out through bleary vision as he started to wake up. </p><p>Once El ran out of his room, he groaned and dragged himself out of bed. Naturally, El and River were both sitting next to the Christmas tree already. From the looks of it, he hadn’t been the only one dragged out of bed seeing as Hopper was slowly making his way out of his room as well. </p><p>Hawthorne sat near the tree, still partially half asleep. Of course, El was the most excited of the three of them. Not that he was too surprised considering this was her first proper Christmas. River and Hawthorne, at this point, hadn’t celebrated a whole lot of holidays in general seeing as their father hadn’t cared too much about them anymore. More than anything, both of them were just excited to do some sort of celebrating for once in a really long time. </p><p>Hopper bought each of them a few presents, figuring none of them would really care too much so long as they got anything at all. Of course, he’d been right. Hawthorne now had some more books to add to his collection, and he’d definitely need them to help his reading. He wasn’t bad at it, but he certainly had some trouble here and there, so he needed the practice. </p><p>There was a knock at the door, and River set down the Walkman she’d been looking at curiously before racing to open it. Steve came in with bags of more presents, which Hawthorne definitely hadn’t expected. But he wasn’t going to complain at this point.</p><p>El was more than excited to see Steve, but she was also drawn to the bags of presents, hoping a decent amount of them were for her. Steve ruffled her hair and brought everything in before he started handing out more presents. </p><p>Hawthorne was more than surprised he’d even bought as much as he had, because he really didn’t have to. Of course, he kind of remembered River saying she’d invited him, but this was more than he would have expected from Steve. </p><p>It occurred to Hawthorne that Steve had a decent amount of money, so that was probably why he’d even bought so many presents. </p><p>Of course, most of El’s presents were a bunch of toys and other things she might have found interesting. Not that it was hard considering how new everything was to her, and therefore, everything was interesting to her. She’d given Steve a tight hug in response, a good enough indication for him that she more than appreciated the gesture. </p><p>Hawthorne wasn’t really sure he’d known, but Steve gave him a book full of information on lots of different plants. Of course, he suspected he’d just asked River. Not very many people knew that he really loved plants. Gardening in general was a favorite of his, even if he hardly got to do it outside of the botany club he’d joined. Nonetheless, he appreciated it, and he even gave Steve a slight smile, which might as well have been Hawthorne’s version of a hug by his own standards.</p><p>River, of course, received more comics, which she was more than excited to read later. If she didn’t already have a lot of them before, she definitely did now. She seemed especially over the moon to have more Superman comics. </p><p>At some point, there was another knock, but a shared look of confusion told Hawthorne that River didn’t know who it was either. He got up to answer it and was surprised to find Jonathan at the door. In fact, it wasn’t just him, but also Will and Joyce. He let them in, and it seemed they also brought a few presents. Not nearly as many as Steve, of course, seeing as they didn’t really have much money to go around, but it was still appreciated. </p><p>Joyce immediately joined Hopper, who must have been the one to invite them. He could already see Joyce trying to help out with dinner, which was probably for the best. Hopper wasn’t a bad cook, or anything, but he didn’t do a whole lot of it, other than breakfast. </p><p>Hawthorne took his spot back on the couch as El was flipping through channels nonchalantly with her powers, hoping to find a good Christmas movie. </p><p>Jonathan took a seat next to him, neither of them really saying anything right away. Neither of them really seemed to know if they were supposed to talk or not, or what they’d even talk about. It was quite an awkward moment of silence, and Hawthorne decided to be the one to say something first. </p><p>“How, um…how’s Will doing?” he asked quietly. The kid seemed okay so far. He was sitting next to El, debating over what to watch. Of course, he knew better than to think Will was totally okay after being possessed by the Mind Flayer. The kid didn’t seem to like people worrying over him too much, so he wouldn’t be too surprised if Will was doing his best to seem like he was okay. He didn’t particularly blame him either.</p><p>“Fine,” Jonathan replied. “Mostly. I mean, he hasn’t complained about feeling strange. He might still be a little…rattled, I guess.”</p><p>Hawthorne nodded, figuring that might be the case. “You know him better than anyone, but if there’s anything I can tell about him already, it’s that he bounces back quickly. At least to some degree.”</p><p>He’d never really talked to Will before, but he could already tell he was a tough kid considering half the shit he’d been through. Even if he didn’t know he kid well, it was easy to see he could hold his own well enough.</p><p>“Yeah, he’s a lot tougher than he looks.” Jonathan even offered a smile, which Hawthorne had to admit looked nice on him. Why didn’t he smile more?</p><p>Hawthorne smiled back and turned when El and Will had finally agreed on Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. </p><p>What might have made this moment even better was finding out Steve knew all the words to the song, which almost made Hawthorne laugh. He wasn’t bad at singing at all, but it was hilarious watching him sing along dramatically, and River looked more than embarrassed by his theatrics. She was laughing, sure, but she also had an exasperated look on her face. Probably because of how loudly he was singing.</p><p>Steve certainly didn’t seem very ashamed, but then again, he might have been doing it to embarrass River even further. Hawthorne couldn’t say he wasn’t guilty of doing the same, and he was finding it very entertaining. </p><p>The look of relief on River’s face when they were all called for dinner might have actually been funnier. </p><p>At the table, food was being passed around, and there was some light conversation here and there. It was kind of nice, actually. Especially when compared to how horrible things had been only a month ago. They weren’t exactly trying to forget so much as they were trying to keep some sense of normalcy in their lives. For that, Hawthorne couldn’t blame anyone, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t been doing the same. </p><p>As Hawthorne was eating, he listened more than he actually talked. </p><p>“I thought you said you guys don’t celebrate Christmas?” Steve asked River, his brows furrowed in confusion.</p><p>“Technically, we don’t,” she answered. “But El was super excited about it, and we haven’t really celebrated Hanukkah properly in a really long time, so this is just as fun, honestly. It’s just less days of celebrating.”</p><p>“Wait, don’t you get presents all eight days during Hanukkah?” Will asked. “I think I remember someone in my class mentioning that.”</p><p>Steve gasped and turned to River and Hawthorne. “You mean this whole time, I could have been getting you guys presents?”</p><p>“You brought a whole bag of them. I think that more than makes up for it,” Hawthorne pointed out. “Besides, no one said you had to.”</p><p>“I say I had to. If I would have known that, I would have given you guys presents on all eight days.” He almost seemed a little sad that he hadn’t had the chance, which was amusing on its own. </p><p>River shrugged. “We kind of didn’t really pay attention to the days while we were settling in, so I didn’t even realize, in all honesty,” she said. “So don’t worry about it all that much.”</p><p>Steve didn’t seem any less sad about it, but he let it go for now. At this rate, Hawthorne wouldn’t be that surprised if he tried to give it a shot next year.</p><p>“First I miss your birthdays, and now I missed a whole eight days of a holiday?” He shook his head and stuffed his mouth with ham. “Such a wasted opportunity,” he mumbled between bites.</p><p>“Well, if it makes you feel any better,” Hawthorne said as he finished his plate, “this year the last day of Hanukkah is tomorrow.”</p><p>“When did it even start?”</p><p>“Last Tuesday.”</p><p>“That means it was going during the Christmas Party!” Steve exclaimed, turning to River.</p><p>She sighed and gave an apologetic look. “I told you. I forgot.”</p><p>Steve shook his head. Hawthorne could practically see the gears in his head turning, which almost scared him. Whatever  Steve might be planning, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be around for it. He might not know him too well, but Hawthorne was sure any plan of his was bound to be…interesting to say the least.</p><p>Dinner went by quickly, and while everyone was socializing, Hawthorne slipped outside. Even in the warm flannel he wore ninety percent of the time, it was freezing. He could feel the cold air biting at his nose. It had to be red even if he hadn’t been out terribly long. Despite the cold, he stood on the porch, leaning against the rail as he let his mind wander.</p><p>Hawthorne hadn’t even heard the door open. Admittedly, he nearly jumped when Jonathan suddenly joined him. </p><p>“Shit, don’t give me a heart attack like that,” he mumbled.</p><p>Jonathan snorted and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “What are you doing out here?” he asked. “It’s cold as shit out here.”</p><p>“I could ask you the same.”</p><p>“I asked first.”</p><p>Hawthorne chuckled and shrugged. “Fair enough. I’m just not much of a social person,” he said.</p><p>Jonathan nodded. “Yeah. I can’t really say it’s really my scene either.”</p><p>Hawthorne offered a small smile. He found his eyes wandering over Jonathan’s figure. There wasn’t any particular reason why, and he wasn’t entirely sure why he was having the thoughts he was having. He had to admit, Jonathan was surprisingly easy to talk to, or maybe that was just him, and he wasn’t unattractive by any stretch of the imagination. Of course, Hawthorne’s face grew red the moment he’d been caught.</p><p>“Do I have something on my face?” Jonathan asked, a slightly teasing tone in his voice. </p><p>Hawthorne’s mouth went dry for a moment. “What? Oh, no. Sorry I just…I was thinking,” he said.</p><p>“About?”</p><p>Sighing, he crossed his arms, his gaze turning forward again.</p><p>“Do you think…do you think everything will go back to normal now that everything’s over?” he blurted out. “You know, after the Demodogs, the lab.” He hesitated for a moment, turning to face him again. “Everything with your brother.”</p><p>Jonathan smiled weakly and huffed, his breath escaping in a visible cloud that quickly dissipated. </p><p>“The first time this happened, it took awhile for everything to go back to normal,” he answered. “And even then, it was never truly the same. By now, I think I’ve accepted that it never really will be.”</p><p>Hawthorne rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess you’d be the expert in this situation.”</p><p>“I don’t know if I’d say that,” Jonathan said. “But I think I’m definitely qualified to give some advice at least.” He grinned, and it was quite possibly the most genuine look Hawthorne had ever seen him give. It was almost strange how weak that look almost made him feel.</p><p>Hawthorne turned away from him again, not wanting Jonathan to see just how red his face was. He might be able to easily blame it in the cold, but it wasn’t worth the risk at this rate. He wasn’t even sure why he was suddenly thinking the way he was. At any rate, it became clear to him that he was going to have a hard time focusing near Jonathan.</p><hr/><p>Christmas quickly came and went in a rush. Even after several days, at least half of the decorations were still up. The tree, of course, was still standing, though a number of the decorations had either been removed or came off before someone put them away.</p><p>Hawthorne was busying himself with making breakfast. At least this way he could keep El from eating more Eggos, at least until lunch rolled around anyways.</p><p>He placed a plate in front of El when there was a knock at the door. Unsure who it might be, they both shared a look before Hawthorne went to check. Of course, he logically assumed it had to be any of El’s friends, or Jonathan, or anyone else who would actually know where they were.</p><p>When he opened the door, Steve was standing on the other side. He should have been surprised perhaps, but it wasn’t much of a shocker at this point.</p><p>He stared at Steve for a moment before turning inside the house. “River, Steve’s here.” Hawthorne felt it was safe to assume he was here for her.</p><p>“Actually, I have a bit of a surprise for everyone,” Steve cut in. Well, there was first for everything, including Hawthorne being proven wrong.</p><p>El perked up at the mention of a surprise, and River was just coming out of her room when she’d heard him.</p><p>“A surprise? What kind of surprise?” she asked.</p><p>Steve grinned and motioned for all of them to follow him. The three of them shared a confused look before following.</p><p>He led them out to his car and stopped them. “Okay, so I was thinking about how you guys didn’t get to celebrate Hanukkah,” he started, excitedly fidgeting. “And I thought, ‘what makes up for eight days worth of presents?’ So, I think I finally figured it out.”</p><p>Of all the things Hawthorne was expecting when Steve opened the car door, a dog was certainly the last thing.</p><p>A German Shepherd hopped out and jumped up at Steve, scratching at his legs. He was small enough that he picked it up, the grin on his face never leaving.</p><p>“So, what do you think?” he asked.</p><p>Hawthorne’s mouth fell open. “You…got us a dog?”</p><p>“Yeah! Pretty cool, huh? I figured I’d have to go big to make up for missing eight days,” he said, as if that truly explained everything. “And don’t worry, I bought food, a bed, all that other good stuff.”</p><p>El seemed a little hesitant at first, but when Steve handed the dog over and it licked her face, she laughed and pet it.</p><p>“Steve, this seems like a lot to throw at us this early in the morning,” River sighed.</p><p>“I know, I know. And I’m sorry about that. I just…I wanted it to be a surprise.”</p><p>Hawthorne turned to the dog, still content to be in El’s arms, its tail wagging wildly.</p><p>“He also doesn’t have a name yet. I thought you guys might want the honor,” Steve added.</p><p>The three of them shared a look, trying desperately to think of a name they could agree on. After some debate, El tossed in an idea they all seemed to like.</p><p>“Why don’t we call him Rexasaurus Rex?” she suggested.</p><p>Of course, they weren’t going to tell her that was a weird name, especially because she didn’t have any concept yet of how naming worked. That, and she was a kid. It was cute, at least.</p><p>“How about we call him Rex for short?” River chimed in.</p><p>El seemed more than happy with that, so they decided that was a good enough name. Hawthorne felt like that fit him well enough.</p><p>“Shit, we should probably see how Hopper feels about this?” Hawthorne realized.</p><p>Steve shrugged. “Don’t worry. If he hesitates, I’ve been known to be persuasive.”</p><p>They all went back inside where, luckily, Hopper was watching TV as he usual did on his days off. He looked up when he heard all of them, though he paused when he spotted Rex. </p><p>“That’s a dog,” he said rather observantly.</p><p>“Yeah, about that. Steve bought us a dog,” River said. “We can keep him, right?”</p><p>Hopper seemed rather hesitant, but before he could refuse, El cut in. </p><p>“We’ll take care of him ourselves.” She gave him a pleading look. Her big, brown eyes mixed with a pout were enough to crack anyone, even Hopper it seemed. </p><p>He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. But you guys will have to take care of him,” he said. “And we’ll have to set some rules, because he’s not allowed on the couch, for starters.”</p><p>They cheered and went to help Steve take in everything else. Hawthorne helped set up once it was decided Rex’s bed would go between their rooms. Once they were good to go, they let Rex sniff around a little as Steve was on his way out. He let them discuss how they were going to divide up their responsibilities, which, of course, took some debate.</p><p>It took a while, but eventually the three of them came to an agreement. The general agreement seemed to be that none of that they’d take turns with the different chores involved in taking care of a dog. They were also in agreement that the only thing they really cared about was that they actually had a dog now.</p><p>Hawthorne realized this was probably the most normal he’d felt in a long time, and he could definitely get used to it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As fun as the holidays had been, they were over just as quickly as they arrived. Not much happened on New Years, but it was fun to celebrate regardless. And not long after that was done with, school was starting up once again. </p><p>There was still plenty of snow on the ground, which made the walk a little chilly, but not in a bad way at all. River thought it was rather nice, actually. She got cold easily, but she still loved the cold weather, but only when there was snow on the ground. Cold weather without snow just felt like a cruel joke. </p><p>At the very least, she felt a little less alone at school now. The only friend she’d really had was Jonathan, and that was mostly when he wasn’t trying to act like a loner. Not that she blamed him, but it certainly felt better when he actually interacted with her. It was like he could forget that people actually cared about him. She might not have been the best company, but she certainly tried her best to be as decent a friend as possible. </p><p>She also now had Steve. Now that they were better acquainted, he would sit with her at lunch every day, and he typically offered her rides back home. As of lately, he’d also started showing up early before school to drive her there. River wasn’t quite sure why, but she wasn’t complaining. The company was much appreciated. </p><p>He’d even offered to take Hawthorne since it was only fair, but her brother turned him down, claiming he enjoyed the walk, and some alone time would be nice before dealing with the school day.</p><p>Today, she’d taken a little longer to get ready, mainly due to the added routine of feeding Rex before she was on her way out. It was still fairly cold out, so she’d found a green sweater to wear, with a regular t-shirt underneath in case she decided she was a little too warm. </p><p>Hopper was just on his way out to work at this time. He ruffled River’s hair as she was getting ready to head out. She only hoped Steve hadn’t been waiting too long. </p><p>Closing the door behind her, she rushed down the wooden steps, careful not to trip over her own feet. As she hopped into the passenger seat, Steve started up the car again.</p><p>“How long have you been out here?” River asked. </p><p>He got them back on the road before answering.</p><p>“Not long. Maybe a minute or two.”</p><p>That made her feel a lot better. She’d feel bad if he’d been outside a while. She wasn’t sure why he didn’t just come in while he waited.</p><p>“Oh. Well, if you want, you can study with me later.” They had about two classes together, so it would make sense to work together, right? She also knew his grades weren’t the greatest right now, and she thought he might appreciate some help if she could offer it.</p><p>“I will definitely take you up on that offer,” he said. “My dad’s really been on my ass about how bad some of my grades are, and I have to keep them up to stay eligible for basketball.”</p><p>She’d almost forgotten he played basketball. “Well, it’s probably not nearly as quiet at my place than yours, but we can probably get a lot done,” she added. “I’m sure I can come up with a system for you to retain enough information. I’ve been doing the same for Hawthorne. He sucks at math.”</p><p>“I can guarantee you, I’m nowhere near as smart as you two are. You guys are, like, super good at a lot of things, and I’m pretty dumb, actually.”</p><p>River gave him a stern look and hit his arm. “You are not!”</p><p>“I have like two F’s and a D. I think that’s proof enough.”</p><p>“And what are the rest of your grades.”<br/>Steve thought for a moment. “Mostly C’s, but just barely,” he admitted. “I seriously need some help.” He sounded almost defeated, and it really made her feel bad for ever thinking he was an idiot. </p><p>“Well, now you have me, and I’m going to make sure you don’t fail. You deserve that much,” she claimed. And she was going to stick to that, because she was not going to let him hold himself back.</p><p>As they pulled into the parking lot, she gave him a reassuring smile and got out of the car. He smiled back, seeming to feel a little better about the situation.</p><p>Thankfully, they had science together during their first hour, so she could get a head start on helping him. Science in general was her best subject, and it had been for as long as she could really remember. </p><p>It hadn’t really been easy helping him through the assignments. Steve was very easily confused, so she had to find roundabout ways of explaining the harder concepts.</p><p>Luckily, the actual labs seemed to go a lot better. From what she could tell, he learned a lot better when he saw what was happening. River made a mental note of that, keeping it in mind for their study session later.</p><p>Despite some slight setbacks, they made it through the lab just fine. That wasn’t counting Steve wanting to play with some of the equipment, of course. Not that she could blame him, with how easily distracted she was, so it would only be hypocritical.</p><p>Once class was over, he offered to walk her to her next class. Sometimes, she had to lean against him a little walking in the halls. Her leg had healed considerably in the last few months, but every now and then, too  much walking was still uncomfortable. Plus, for the most part, she had done as much walking except maybe walking Rex a little every now and then. It was probably good for both of them.</p><p>With Steve’s help, River made it to class okay. She took her seat, mostly zoning out as class was starting. She sometimes had a hard time focusing in class, but for some reason it was a lot worse right now. The worst part was, she could hear some of the other students’ thoughts buzzing in her head. Normally, she had a decent control over that kind of thing, but it was always a lot harder in school. Maintaining a power like that could get a lot more difficult with so many students in one room. Even worse was probably that this was her biggest class today. She often had headaches after this class.</p><p>It was annoying trying so hard to block everyone out. And for the most part, she did okay, but it was overwhelming more than anything. She really hated how loud some people’s thoughts could be. </p><p>Feeling fed up with having to deal with how disorienting this whole issue was, she raised her hand and asked to be excused to the bathroom. </p><p>The second she was free, she snuck outside, heading out the field where the bleachers sat. She huffed and sat down, her head in her hands as she tried to concentrate again. Centering herself—even grounding herself in reality, in the here and now—often made her feel a lot better. </p><p>And it was working for the most part.</p><p>River felt like she wouldn’t be able to sit through the rest of the school day at this point. She was still a little too worked up right now. On the other hand, she didn’t want to be alone either. Having one person around might be nice. </p><p>For a moment, she contemplated trying to get her brother to ditch with her, but she knew a lot of his classes were really important to him, and she didn’t want him to risk missing anything for her. The same could probably be said for Steve, but of the two, he’d probably be much more willing to ditch than Hawthorne.</p><p>Having decided that much, she decided maybe the best way to get his attention was to try using her powers to reach him. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea after she’d just had a little bit of a freak out, but it was the least risky method she had right now.</p><p>Taking a deep breath and concentrating, she did her best to project her thoughts to him, hoping he could hear her.</p><p>
  <em>Steve? If you can hear me, I need you to meet at the bleachers.</em>
</p><p>There was a pause, and she almost thought maybe it hadn’t worked. </p><p>
  <em>Yeah, give me a minute and I’ll be there.</em>
</p><p>She sighed in relief and sat back while she was waiting. It was still slightly chilly out, so she hugged herself, rubbing her arms to stay at least a little warm. </p><p>After a few minutes, Steve came out, quickly making his way up to the top of the bleachers where she was sitting alone. He took the steps two at a time and planted himself next to her. </p><p>“You okay?” he asked, looking her over to make sure nothing was physically wrong with her. He sighed in relief when he found nothing, relaxing as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. That didn’t worry him much less, though.</p><p>“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Mostly, anyways.” </p><p>He nodded, not really pressing forward until she was ready.<br/>“I just got a little bit of a headache. It’s not great being able to hear everything people are thinking all the time,” she explained. </p><p>“But you can control that, right?”</p><p>“Mostly,” she said. “It’s harder around a bunch of people. That’s why I hate being here sometimes.” </p><p>Steve nodded, not really understanding, but he got the gist of it.</p><p>“I guess that makes sense.” He noticed when she shivered a little, even with the sweater that was definitely bigger than her. He didn’t hesitate to take off his jacket and throw it over her shoulders. “Geez, you’re gonna get sick like this, Matthews.”</p><p>River rolled her eyes and pulled the jacket tighter around her. </p><p>They sat in comfortable silence for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company. Steve fumbled for something in his pocket before pulling out the pack of cigarettes he hid sometimes. He pulled one out, placing it between his lips before lighting it. </p><p>River watched him curiously for a moment. “I didn’t know you smoke,” she said.</p><p>Steve shrugged. “Sometimes, yeah.” He was considerate enough to blow the smoke where it wouldn’t reach it. “Do you?” he asked.</p><p>“A few times I’ve stolen some from my dad,” she admitted. “He smokes a lot.”</p><p>She frowned a little at the memory, and he was quick to change the subject. </p><p>“You want one?” </p><p>He held the box to her, and she hesitated a moment before taking one. He lit it for her and they sat back, trying to relax for now. </p><p>Admittedly, this was nice having some company. And maybe having Steve as a friend wasn’t so bad. If he even considered her a friend. She sure thought of him that way at this point. Maybe things started off rough, but she hardly thought they would be doing anything like this if they weren’t friends. </p><p>The bell rang, sounding a lot more distant from out here. Everyone would be heading to lunch right now. </p><p>It was then that Steve put out his cigarette and turned to her. “How about we actually ditch?” he proposed. “Instead of just sitting around here like a bunch of delinquents.” </p><p>The grin on his face made her laugh a little. She put out her cigarette and nodded. “Yeah, I like the sound of that.”</p><p>Steve got up, leading her out to his car. He opened the car door for her before going around to the driver’s seat. He started up the car, and River stared out the window, wondering where on earth he was even taking her.</p><p>She sat back and absentmindedly listened to whatever music he had playing (Queen, it sounded like), watching the outside world pass by in a blur.</p><p>It took her a moment to realize they were pulling up in front of the diner not far from Hawkins High. If there was food involved, she definitely wasn’t complaining. They got out of the car and found a seat in the back.</p><p>While they were waiting for their food, River drank a cup of coffee, feeling a little better now that they were away from the constant buzz of school and teenagers. </p><p>“So, are we still on for studying later?” Steve asked. “If you’re feeling better, that is.”</p><p>River nodded, setting the cup down. “Yeah, I think I’ll be fine,” she said. “We can study in my room, that way no one should really bother us.”</p><p>That stupid grin made an appearance again, and he wiggled his eyebrows a little. “Ah. You mean so we can ‘study’?” </p><p>She groaned and rolled her eyes. “No, you know we’re actually studying.”</p><p>“I’m just saying. If at any point we just stopped studying-okay, ow. I’m kidding.” He rubbed his shoulder where she hit him. </p><p>“Steve, no.”</p><p>“I’m just pushing your buttons, I promise.” Steve shook his head. “You hit harder than I thought you would.”</p><p>“We are studying, and that is it, Harrington,” River warned, giving him a serious look.</p><p>He sighed. “I know, okay? You’re my friend, and I wouldn’t do that to you. That and Hopper scares me.”</p><p>There that word was. Friend. It was enough confirmation for her to at least know where they stood right now, which admittedly made her feel a little hopeful knowing she had a friend. At least, one more friend than she’d started off with. </p><p>Which reminded her.</p><p>“Shit, I’m gonna have to ask Jonathan for notes later,” she mumbled.<br/>“Oh yeah, you guys have math together, right?”</p><p>River nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay at math, but it’s a lot easier keeping up with notes.”</p><p>After a moment, their food arrived, and they thanked the waitress before continuing.</p><p>“You can just ask him tomorrow, right?” Steve asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I’ll have to. I can catch him before first period tomorrow, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”</p><p>“How’s he doing?” Steve spoke cautiously, quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear anything they shouldn’t. “You know, after...after what happened with Will.”</p><p>River sighed, thinking for a moment. “From what I can tell? Fine, mostly. They’re still worried about the poor kid, but I think Jonathan is trying to give him some room to breathe,” she said. “Will’s been through a lot, and Ms. Byers is already watching him like a hawk, so I doubt he’d feel much better with Jonathan fretting over him, too.”</p><p>He nodded in understanding. Will really went through a lot, so neither of them could really blame him for wanting just a little space here and there. </p><p>River sat back, eating a few of her fries. “How about Dustin?” she asked. “I know they were planning on getting a new cat before I left.”</p><p>“Yeah, Dustin finally told his mom Mr. Mews probably just ran away, and she was definitely torn about it,” he said. “But she’s better, and they just got a new cat the other day, actually. I think they named him Tews.”</p><p>She hummed, taking a quick drink. “I kinda feel bad about lying, but I guess it would be a lot worse finding out your cat got eaten,” she said sullenly. </p><p>“It sucks, but that’s just how it has to be.”</p><p>River knew he was right, but Claudia Henderson was possibly one of the nicest people she’d ever met, and she couldn’t help the heart wrenching guilt she felt knowing what really happened. But if there was anything she knew, it was that the truther could be more harsh than feeding someone white lies to spare them. If Mrs. Henderson deserved anything, it was at least some peace of mind that, for all she knew, Mr. Mews could still be out there living his life.</p><p>Or maybe not, but what did she really know about that kind of thing? She hadn’t had Rex long, but she supposed she might feel terrible if he’d run away.</p><p>“Yeah, I guess so. At least she has Tews now, so I guess it could be worse.’</p><p>Steve nodded. They ate in silence until he tried to steal one of her fries, which happened more then once.</p><p>“Steve!”</p><p>“What? Hey, I’m paying for lunch, so I feel like this is justified. It’s just one.”</p><p>River raised an eyebrow. “And the last three were just one?”</p><p>“Exactly. Glad you understand.”</p><p>She swatted his hand when he tried again, and he tried to pull a pouty face, but it didn’t do much for him. </p><p>“Steve, you have your own food.”</p><p>“Please? Look, I’ll let you take half of my onion rings.” He scooted his plate over, giving her another pleading look. “That’s fair compensation, right? More than fair even.”</p><p>River sighed, shaking her head. “Fine, you dork.”<br/>Steve grinned and stole a few more fries. At this point, they ended up sharing most of their food, not that either of them were really complaining.</p><p>As soon as they were done, Steve paid for lunch and left a decent tip before he dragged her away again. They certainly had some time to kill before school would officially be over.</p><hr/><p>Later, after dinner, River and Steve head to her room to get started on some homework. When Hopper asked about school, they both made up something believable, knowing he would be a little upset to know that they skipped. Maybe he’d be little understanding knowing the circumstances, and it wasn’t like he had room to talk. River already knew he didn’t have the best track record in school, so she wouldn’t have hesitated to mention it. But, thankfully he seemed to buy it just fine.</p><p>Now that they had some peace and quiet, she was trying her best to help Steve with whatever homework he was struggling with. Which was a good portion of it.</p><p>And if there was anything she noticed, it was that Steve wasn’t stupid. He just needed some assistance every now and then, and once he got the hang of things, he had an easy enough time figuring things out on his own from there. </p><p>Steve was typically pretty confident, but he seemed to hold the belief that he wasn’t smart, and she wasn’t standing for that. </p><p>In fact, she made a few diagrams and flashcards, and she made him go through them twice. The first time, he missed a few, but by the second round, he got the hang of it.</p><p>“See? I told you that you could do it,” she said.<br/>He smiled and shrugged. “Well, I have a pretty great teacher.”</p><p>Admittedly, she felt her face grow warm at the compliment. </p><p>“If you keep this up, I think your grades will go up in no time,” she said. “And then you won’t have to worry about basketball.”</p><p>Steve smiled brightly, writing down a few things on his worksheet. He paused for a moment before looking back up at her.</p><p>“Speaking of, I actually have my last basketball game coming up in about two weeks.” He rubbed the back of his neck, stumbling over his words a little. “I mean, that is, if you wanted to come.”</p><p>River couldn’t help but laugh a little at how nervous he seemed, though she couldn’t imagine why. It wasn’t like she’d say no.</p><p>She nodded. “Yeah, I don’t see why not.”</p><p>He sighed in relief. “Okay, good. I know you don’t really know anything about basketball, but it would be nice to have someone there.”</p><p>“Hey, don’t worry. I know fuck-all about it, but after everything you’ve done for me, I would be stupid not to go support you.” Steve smiled, and it might have been the most genuine expression she’d seen from him so far.</p><p>“Thanks.” The look between them lingered for a little longer than it probably should have. He cleared his throat and turned to his paper again. “So, um, what about this one?” he asked, pointing to the next question.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hawthorne was having more problems than he would like to admit. For starters, he was only barely managing to fix his English grade, and math wasn’t going any better. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d never really had an easy time with math, and it was really biting him in the ass right now. </p><p>As it stood, he wasn’t having the greatest time. On top of that, his sister ditched once again, just like she had yesterday. No doubt she was with Steve. Not that he could blame her, especially since he knew sometimes her powers just went a little haywire. That had happened to him a number of times, but he was probably better at controlling it than her. </p><p>Unfortunately, that meant he was on his own for lunch. He had a few other friends, sure. The theater kids were practically a whole clique of their own. There were at least two others in theater whose company he enjoyed at least a little. </p><p>Namely, Robin Buckley and Annie Hardwick. They were probably the coolest out of everyone else in that class, and they seemed to know what they were doing more than some of the others.<br/>He will admit, though. He’s not always the greatest with people, so he only really hung out with either of them during class.</p><p>As depressing as it might have seemed, he opted to sit at a table alone, partially wishing he could just disappear. Unlike his sister, he wasn’t incredibly smart, so he couldn’t risk ditching nearly as much as her. He didn’t hold that against her, but it would certainly be nice if he didn’t feel stupid all the time.</p><p>River always offered to help where she could, and for the most part it got him somewhere. But he always felt like no matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t retain information as well as her, for as much as she might not pay attention.</p><p>He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a tray slid across from him. Two, actually. When Hawthorne looked up, Nancy and Jonathan sat across from him, friendly smiles on both their faces.</p><p>“Uh, hi.” He mentally slapped himself for being the most awkward person in existence.</p><p>“Hey. It’s okay if we join, right?” Nancy asked.<br/>Hawthorne nodded after a moment. He really didn’t mind. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d had any other company. </p><p>The three of them ate in silence for a moment, and it was almost awkward. No, it was definitely a little awkward. </p><p>“Where’s River?” Jonathan asked after a moment of silence. </p><p>Hawthorne shrugged. “Probably ditching with Steve again,” he answered.</p><p>Nancy seemed to be thinking carefully before she asked, “Are they, like together?” She backtracked a little, not wanting to sound like she was jealous, because she truly wasn’t. She felt she had no right to be after the way things happened between them.</p><p>“Which is fine,” she quickly added. “I was just wondering, and I think it’s good for Steve if he’s moved on.”</p><p>Hawthorne recalled hearing about their break up, which was why she was dating Jonathan now. The thought of it made him feel a little weird. Even the slightest hint of jealousy perhaps? He wasn’t sure why, though.</p><p>“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “If so, my sister never told me.” He liked to believe she’d tell him something like that.</p><p>Nancy nodded. “Oh. Okay.” She bit her lip, seemingly still pretty deep in thought. “Well, Jonathan and I are going to the movies this weekend if you wanted to join.”</p><p>Hawthorne was surprised she’d even ask, and he was also curious why. He’d only be intruding, or at the very least he’d be the third wheel. The more he thought about it, that might actually be worse third wheeling. </p><p>“Are you sure?” he asked. “I don’t want to impose, especially if you guys are on a date.” He had a feeling she might be asking out of pity. As if he didn’t have anything better to do this weekend. He didn’t, but was it really that obvious?</p><p>Jonathan answered this time, shaking his head. “No, don’t worry. We both want you to come,” he insisted. “I mean, you and I have been friends for a while now, and I knew you don’t get to do a whole lot.”</p><p>That was probably the biggest similarity between the two of them. Jonathan typically like to stay home and listen to music if he wasn’t out taking pictures, and Hawthorne couldn’t say his free time wasn’t spent much differently.</p><p>On the one hand, this might be the first time he’d get to do something without being alone. On the other hand, it might just be really awkward for him. Maybe it was worth a shot, though.</p><p>“If you’re both fine with it,” he said.</p><p>Both of them insisted he wasn’t intruding, and he knew Nancy especially could be persistent. </p><p>“Trust me, we really want you to hang out with us,” she said.</p><p>Hawthorne nodded, feeling like he didn’t see any reason not to. “Yeah, alright.”</p><p>Nancy smiled brightly, and he really couldn’t help thinking just how amazing her smile really was. He was so confused right now, but there wasn’t much he could do about it right now. </p><p>Lunch passed by quickly, and they reminded him they’d be going on Saturday. </p><p>Hawthorne struggled through the rest of his classes until he was finally free to head home. He liked the walk to and from school. It was quiet now that it was just him, and it gave him enough time to think before heading home.</p><p>However, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of wheels against the sidewalk. When he turned behind him, he wasn't too surprised to see Max riding her skateboard. She smiled when she spotted him and pushed herself closer to him.</p><p>There was just enough space for her to skate alongside him.</p><p>“Why are you walking by yourself?” she asked.</p><p>“Because I like to,” he said, “and because River gets rides from Steve now.”</p><p>Max gave him a surprised look, but she nodded. “Oh. I was just wondering because you seem kind of stressed.”</p><p>He hadn’t realized he might look that way, and he supposed he was for a number of reasons.<br/>“Maybe a bit,” he admitted. “My math grade is shit right now.”</p><p>“Is that all? Dude, I’m amazing at math. Let me help.”</p><p>“No offense, but you’re in, what? Sixth grade?”</p><p>“Eighth,” she corrected. “And I’m in the advanced math classes, so I think I know what I’m doing.”</p><p>Of all the subjects, he wouldn’t have expected math to be her strong suit. But he needed the help, and if she could do that, he didn’t have much room to object.</p><p>“If you can somehow help me figure out eleventh grade math, then sure,” he agreed.</p><p>“Aren’t you in twelfth grade?” she asked.</p><p>“That’s how much I suck at math.”</p><p>They made it back to his house without any more inquiries, and he sat her at the dinner table as he pulled out his homework.</p><p>He sighed and looked over at her. “Okay, what the hell does any of this mean?”</p><p>Max skimmed over a few of the problems, her eyes lighting up when she recognized what he was doing. </p><p>“Oh! This isn’t too hard,” she said.</p><p>“Easy for you to say.”</p><p>Max rolled her eyes and took his pencil and notebook. “Look, you guys learned how to foil, right?” she asked.</p><p>Hawthorne nodded.</p><p>“Okay, it’s kind of like that.”</p><p>She drew out the first equation, demonstrating how to solve it before she let him do the second one. He struggled through it a little, so she helped anywhere he fumbled and messed up. </p><p>It took about five problems before he really got the hang of it. He was surprised just how good Max was at math, but he probably should have figured. The kids were all smart one way or another. Max was no exception, even if she wasn’t into science like the party. She was plenty smart in her own right, and it amazed him.</p><p>“Thanks,” he said.</p><p>Max smiled and sat back. “No problem. It’s not so hard once you get the hang of it.”</p><p>“Now if only I could figure out my problems in English.” Hawthorne sighed and rubbed his face, looking a little weary.</p><p>“What’s wrong with that?”</p><p>He thought for a second, unsure how to really explain it. “I’m just not that great at reading,” he admitted. “I can do it, but it takes me a little longer than everyone else, and I’ve been told my comprehension is a little messed up because of it.”</p><p>Max hummed in thought. “Maybe it’s because English isn’t your first language,” she suggested. “It’s Russian, isn’t it?” She was sure Dustin mentioned that.</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“How good’s your reading in Russian?”</p><p>He hadn’t really read much in Russian since he was about ten. So, understandably, he wasn’t too great at it.</p><p>Hawthorne shrugged. “Uh, not great. I mean, it’s been about eight years since I’ve had to read in anything but English.”</p><p>Max mulled over his answer as she seemed to be drawing some sort of conclusion. “Do you think maybe you have dyslexia?” he asked. “I knew someone in California who had that.”</p><p>“What the hell is that?”</p><p>She was a little unsure how to explain it. “Well, I don’t know a whole lot, so you should probably look into it,” she started. “But what I do know is it affects reading and comprehension, like you said, and sometimes spelling.”</p><p>Hawthorne was painfully aware he wasn’t the best at spelling, mainly because he came across words he didn’t know too well and spelled them how he thought they sounded. That was often misleading when it came to English, he’d learned.</p><p>“Oh,” was all he could say for a moment or two. “You know, that would actually explain a lot.” </p><p>“Maybe you should talk to Hopper about it,” she suggested. “If anything, he might be able to help you figure out what you should do.”<br/>It wasn’t like anything else he’d been doing was helping him much. Maybe she had a point. </p><p>“Yeah, I’ll see what he thinks.” Hawthorne ruffled her hair. “You want a snack? It’s the least I can do.”</p><p>Max nodded as he got out of his seat and looked through the kitchen. He quickly made her a grilled cheese sandwich and sat down again when he handed her the plate. </p><p>She took a bite into it, immediately lighting up at how amazing it tasted.</p><p>“Holy shit.”<br/>“It’s a sandwich, kid.”</p><p>Max shook her head. “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure this is the best thing I’ve had in a long time,” she said. </p><p>“I’m glad you think so. But it’s still just a sandwich, and I don’t see the big deal.”</p><p>She shrugged, taking another big bite. Her mouth was full when she spoke again. “‘S really good, okay?”</p><p>Hawthorne laughed and ruffled her hair. “If you say so.”</p><p>She finally swallowed and looked up at him with bright eyes. “Can you just always cook for me?”</p><p>“Doesn’t your mom feed you?”</p><p>“Yeah, but eating with my family is always awkward, and my mom doesn’t really make me snacks like she used to.” She deflated a little at the thought, and it made his heart wrench at least a little.</p><p>“We’ll see,” he promised. “I’ll figure something out.”</p><p>Max quickly finished her sandwich, and he made her one more out of the kindness of his heart. That and he felt she deserved it for helping him out as much as she had.</p><p>He let her eat as his mind wandered a little. There was so much going on in his head right now, and he wasn;t sure how to begin addressing any of it. Math was one thing, but he had a lot more going on than that.<br/>Max seemed to pick up on his anxiety. “You good?” she asked between bites.</p><p>Hawthorne hummed and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking.”</p><p>“About what?”</p><p>Sighing, he sat back in his seat, his shoulders slumping. “Don’t worry. It’s not your problem.”</p><p>“You said that about the math thing, too. I think I’ve proven I can help.”</p><p>He ruffled her hair again, only earning a slight protest. “Never said you couldn’t,” he assured her. “I’m just a little confused, I suppose.”</p><p>She took another bite and gestured for him to elaborate. </p><p>“Okay, but anything I tell you stays between us, got it?” When she nodded, he sighed and crossed his arms. “Some time around Christmas, I think I realized I like Jonathan,” he confessed.</p><p>Max’s eyes widened for a moment before he continued. “Obviously, he’s dating Nancy now, so that was out of the question. And then, I don’t know, I started noticing things I liked about Nancy, too.”</p><p>It felt wrong, but even worse now that he was actually saying it out loud. In fact, he hadn’t even come to that conclusion himself until a few minutes ago.</p><p>“So you like them both?”</p><p>“Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know if that’s a bad thing, or not.”</p><p>Max shook her head and wiped the crumbs from her face. “I don’t think it is,” she said. “I’m pretty sure you’re not the first person. I mean, for starters, I think that means you’re probably bisexual, or something.” She’d heard that term used a few times when she still lived in California, and from what she understood, that probably applied to him.</p><p>“What’s that?” he asked curiously.</p><p>“I think it means you like guys and girls. Or, like, two genders in general, I guess.”<br/>Hawthorne thought that over for a moment. Honestly, it sounded accurate, and he was amazed there was even a word for that.</p><p>“But what about if I like them both? As in, I don’t think I’d really mind dating them both at the same time?” He doubted that would ever happen. If anything, he was sure they’d think he was weird. He wasn’t sure if he should be unloading all this on a kid, but at least she seemed to want to help.</p><p>“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But from all the stuff I’ve seen when there’s those pride parades in San Francisco, I don’t think you’d be the first at all.”</p><p>Max hesitated for a moment, wiping her palms on her jeans. “If it makes you feel better, I’m pretty sure I’m bisexual.”</p><p>Hawthorne gave her a shocked look. Somehow, this kid seemed to have things figured out a little better than he did. </p><p>“Is that so?”</p><p>Max shrugged. “I’ve had crushes on both guys and girls,” she admitted. “And if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I don’t think it really hurts to identify wrongly.”</p><p>It was dawning on him that he really underestimated just how much these kids really understood. She wasn’t wrong, and he knew that. Max was unbelievably wise for a thirteen-year-old. </p><p>“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said. “When did you get so smart?”</p><p>She laughed and shrugged. “I like to think I’ve always been this smart.”<br/>Hawthorne snorted. “No kidding.”</p><p>He let her finish her sandwich before sending her on her way. It was going to get dark soon, and he didn’t want her skateboarding in the dark by herself. Even if she insisted she’d be fine. You could never be safe, especially after going through what they had. It was easy to be paranoid.</p><hr/><p>It wasn’t long before Saturday rolled around. Naturally, he hadn’t forgotten about what Max told him, which might have made him even more anxious than he was before. </p><p>Hawthorne was more than happy to spend time with Nancy and Jonathan. Now that he’d sorted out his feelings better, it made him feel even more awkward, though. If he messed anything up, he was sure they’d hate him forever. </p><p>He just had to be as casual as possible. After all, this was just friends hanging out. So what if two of those friends were in a relationship, and that he so badly wanted to be a part of that?</p><p>Who was he kidding? He might as well take on a hoard of Demodogs all by himself. It would be just as painful.</p><p>Hawthorne looked himself over in the mirror, trying to tame the red mess that was his hair. Sure, he hadn’t dressed up because that would be weird, right? But he didn’t have to look like a disaster. </p><p>Before he could really overthink too much, Hopper was calling him. They must be here now. </p><p>He looked himself over one more time before leaving his room and heading to the door. As he expected, Nancy and Jonathan were standing at the door. </p><p>“You guys have fun,” Hopper said, patting his back. “Be back before dinner.” </p><p>Hawthorne nodded and said goodbye before he followed them out to Jonathan’s car. He got in the back seat as the car started. </p><p>As he would have expected, Jonathan had some music playing. And, if he remembered correctly, it sounded like something by The Clash. He was sure he’d heard this song before, and he knew it was the kind of music Jonathan liked.</p><p>Either way, focusing on the music made him feel at least a little less nervous. By the time they got to the movie theater, he’d mentally prepared himself.</p><p>Of course, they asked for his input on what to watch, but he didn’t think he’d mind much either way. Although, <em>The Breakfast Club </em>had just come out a few days ago, and he thought it could be fun.</p><p>Thankfully, both of them seemed to agree with him, and Nancy bought them all tickets. Of course, he felt a little bad that she even offered, but he much appreciated it.</p><p>At the very least, Jonathan tried to contribute to buy enough popcorn for all of them, which was awfully nice considering the Byers weren’t doing too well in terms of income. He’d been insistent, though, so Hawthorne made a mental note to repay the favor some other time. He surely had a decent amount of money now that he lived with Hopper, though he was aware he’d have to get a job soon enough.</p><p>Nancy dragged them both towards their seats and sat between them. As everyone filed in, they passed around the popcorn, a good portion of it already gone by them time the movie started.</p><p>Suffice it to say, Hawthorne was feeling a lot better about the whole thing. He didn’t feel nearly as awkward as he had been before leaving. The only thing was, he caught a glimpse of Jonathan and Nancy holding hands, and it did hurt just a little. He fought down the feeling, trying to focus for now. After all, he was genuinely enjoying himself if you took that out of the equation.</p><p>As long as he paid attention to the movie, he was sure he would be just fine.</p><p>He did laugh every now and then as he kept his eyes trained on the screen. And every now and the, he swore he might have seen Nancy glance in his direction, but it might have been wishful thinking.</p><p>By the end of the movie, he’d mostly gotten over his emotions for the time being. And he probably ate more of the popcorn than either of them. He was trying to make the most of this while he could. </p><hr/><p>Hawthorne thought he’d made it through without anything awkward happening. Then, as fate would have it, Nancy suggested they eat somewhere before calling it good.</p><p>God really did hate him, huh?</p><p>Of course, he didn’t object, and it wasn’t long before they were eating at the diner together. Surprisingly, it wasn’t nearly as awkward as he’d anticipated. </p><p>Mostly, Nancy tried to make some light conversation, doing her best to include him. And, of course, it wasn’t so hard talking to Jonathan. They’d known each other long enough now that it was easy for them to find things to talk about. </p><p>And once their food arrived, they mostly ate in silence, except for the occasional small talk. Maybe he’d over exaggerated and hyped this up more than he should have. He couldn’t help it. It was easy for his anxiety to get the better of him. </p><p>He appreciated how much they were trying not to make him feel like the third wheel. As awkward as he felt at the beginning, he was much more relaxed and enjoying himself.<br/>This time, Hawthorne offered to pay for them, to which Nancy objected, until it was settled that they’d split the bill and call it even. He knew that was as good as it was getting. </p><p>The ride back wasn’t so bad now that they broke the ice. There was some more small talk here and there.</p><p>“What do you think you’ll do after graduation?” Nancy asked. </p><p>It occurred to him that she was still a junior and had one more year left, unlike him and Jonathan.</p><p>“Not sure,” he said truthfully. “I don’t even know what I want to do for the rest of my life.”</p><p>Nancy gave him a reassuring smile through the rear view mirror. “Well, you don’t have to have everything figured out right away. But there has to be something you like doing.”</p><p>No one had ever really asked him, but there were some things.</p><p>“Not a whole lot. I suppose I’m really good with plants, if that counts as anything. And, I can cook pretty well. I’ve been getting a lot better at sewing in my free time, too.”</p><p>He’d never really said most of that out loud, but it felt nice getting it out there. He was just better with practical things. </p><p>Jonathan smiled, he’s leaving the road for just a second. “That’s good, though. I mean, it’s pretty easy finding a job out of those.”</p><p>Admittedly, Hawthorne supposed he had a point. </p><p>“I guess so. I’m not really sure, though, so I still have to think it over.” He knew he had time, and it wasn’t like he couldn’t figure something out. It might be nice to have a summer job, though.</p><p>As soon as they pulled up to his house, Hawthorne went to open the door and paused. “Do you guys wanna come in?” he asked.</p><p>They shared a look before nodding and following him in. Hopper was surprised about having guests, but he hardly minded the extra company.</p><p>“So, how’d everyone’s day go?” he asked after serving everyone.</p><p>El grinned. “Great,” she answered.</p><p>“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”</p><p>“Mike said he could visit more in the summer.”</p><p>Hopper sighed and nodded. “That’s good, but we’re gonna have to set some rules before that happens,” he said. “Anyone else?”</p><p>“Um, Steve and I studied at the library. He got a B on his last test,” River chimed in. “So it’s doing him some good.”</p><p>“And you three?” Hopper turned expectantly.</p><p>Hawthorne took a quick bite before answering. “Good. Uh, we had fun.” He turned to Nancy and Jonathan who smiled and nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, it was pretty great,” Nancy added. </p><p>That seemed to satisfy Hopper. In all fairness, this was a lot better than how awkward dinners used to be a few months ago.</p><p>Everyone helped clean up as they finished, and Hawthorne dragged away their guests to his room for the time being. He almost didn’t want them to leave just yet. </p><p>“Thanks for today,” he said, sitting on his bed.</p><p>They joined, sitting across from him. </p><p>Nancy flashed him that bright smile he’d come to love in the short time they’d been friends. “Don’t worry. We’re glad you had fun.”</p><p>“Yeah. We were afraid you might change your mind or something,” Jonathan admitted. “You know, if things were too awkward.”</p><p>Nancy nodded. “We really didn’t want you to feel like the third wheel.”</p><p>Hawthorne shook his head, leaning back against the headboard. “No, don’t worry. It didn’t feel that way too much.”</p><p>Jonathan sighed in relief. He was glad it hadn't been so bad like he’d worried about. “That’s good.”</p><p>There was a brief silence as the two of them seemed to be discussing something without talking. They gave each other meaningful glances, something he probably wasn’t picking up on.</p><p>Eventually, they seemed to have figured out whatever was going on, and Nancy took his hand. He was surprised, to say the least, and at the most, confused.</p><p>“Can we talk about something?” she asked.</p><p>Hawthorne stared down at their hands and nodded. “Uh, yeah.” It came out more as a question, but she went on.</p><p>“The reason we asked you to come along is because we were talking a little about something.” She glanced over at Jonathan. “I know you and I haven’t especially known each other for very long, but we talked, and I think Jonathan had a good idea if you;d be okay with it.”</p><p>Hawthorne was still very confused, unsure where this was going at all.</p><p>Jonathan cleared his throat and suddenly seemed just as nervous as Hawthorne felt earlier. </p><p>“Not that you have to say anything right away, but, if you’re willing, we thought maybe the three of us could all try dating.”</p><p>It was almost like Hawthorne’s brain shut down for a moment. He felt like if he said anything, he might ruin this, and it might turn out to be a dream. He’d only ever hoped for this, and somehow everything was finally laid before him. An opportunity to get what he wanted.<br/>“Like, all three of us? Together?”</p><p>Nancy nodded, squeezing his hand lightly. “Only if you want. If not, we totally get it,” she assured him.</p><p>His mouth went dry for a moment before he nodded. “Yeah. I’d definitely like that.”</p><p>She grinned and thought for a moment before softly kissing his cheek. “I’m glad.”</p><p>Jonathan did the same, an actual smile on his face. Hawthorne was still reeling, having a hard time processing all of this.</p><p>“So, uh, how is all of this going to work?” he asked.</p><p>“We’ll figure it out slowly. Together,” Jonathan answered.</p><p>He nodded, still feeling like he might be in a dream. As soon as they’d both headed back home before it got too late, he went out to the kitchen for a glass of water, making sure this was real.</p><p>Surely enough, he was very much awake. Hopper, who’d been cleaning a little, noticed the dazed look on his face. </p><p>“You okay, kid?” He sounded slightly concerned, which was probably warranted with how out of it Hawthorne looked.</p><p>Slowly, it turned to a grin, and he nodded. “Yeah. Great, actually.”</p><p>“Care to elaborate?”</p><p>Hawthorne hesitated before he finally spoke up again, setting down his cup. “I think I’m dating Nancy and Jonathan now,” he said. </p><p>Hopper was more than a little surprised, to say the least. “Both of them?”</p><p>He nodded.</p><p>“Oh. Well, uh, I’m glad,” Hopper said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Can’t say I know a whole lot about that, but as long as you’re happy. Just remember that, okay?” </p><p>He was glad he was trying to be supportive. “Just so you know, things like that don’t matter to me so long as you’re happy, okay?”<br/>Hawthorne nodded as Hopper ruffled his hair. It was just then that he remembered something. He went to grab a few things as he started putting together a few snacks and started making two grilled cheese sandwiches.</p><p>“You bringing yourself a lunch tomorrow?”</p><p>“Not for me. For Max,” he said. </p><p>“That’s nice of you. Just make sure you clean up before bed.” He patted his shoulder and went to his room.</p><p>Hawthorne finished up and cleaned before putting everything into a bag. He quickly grabbed a marker and wrote Max’s name on it before slipping in a note as well.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>School dragged by painfully slow, and River could hardly bear it. She was unbelievably ecstatic when it ended. It was for a number of reasons, really. Sure, she was just bored, but Steve had his last basketball game tonight.</p><p>More than anything, she wanted to support him and be a good friend. Not only that, but she’d also rallied the kids together to support him as well. Of course, she should have expected the extra effort they put into the whole thing.</p><p>Somehow, she even convinced Hopper to let El join long enough to go to the game as long as she was back before it was late. She technically wasn’t allowed out still, but he made this one exception, and that was it.</p><p>As soon as they joined the party at Mike’s house, she found them all scattered on the basement floor working hard on what looked like signs.</p><p>They had three that they divided into groups to make.<br/>Will looked up from where he was adding a drawing of a basketball. “Hey, guys. Just in time. You can help with that third sign.” He pointed over to where Dustin and Max were working. </p><p>River didn’t see any reason not to help, and she thought it was cute how much work they were putting into this. She sat down and grabbed some markers as she helped make it look nice. Thankfully, she was pretty decent at drawing, though her nice drawings were a sharp contrast to the messy letters the boy wrote.</p><p>It was unique, for sure. But maybe that was the best part. It might have been all over the place, but that was what gave it character. Besides, Dustin and Mike seemed excited about how it turned out. Dustin more, but she really couldn’t fault them for that. </p><p>Of course, Will probably did the best job with Lucas’s help. El mostly focused on drawing, but her and Mike had a decent looking sign. It was very colorful, at least.</p><p>“Wow, you guys really went above and beyond,” River said. </p><p>“Well, it’s his last game, so we thought he might appreciate it,” Will replied. “I think that’s what you do at sports games.”<br/>She ruffled his hair and stood up. “It’s a nice thought.”</p><p>After a bit, Jonathan came by to take some of them to the game. Of course, Nancy and Hawthorne joined, so it looked like they had even more people tagging along. Between Jonathan and Mrs. Wheeler, they were able to get everyone over to the high school without a problem. </p><p>They carried their signs in and sat down as the game was starting. </p><p>Over by the bench, River spotted Steve with the rest of the team. She smiled when she caught his eye and waved excitedly. He laughed a little and waved back. </p><p>It wasn’t long before the game was starting, and she watched excitedly despite having no clue how any of this actually worked. The only sport she really knew anything about was hockey, of course.</p><p>Every now and then, Steve would get the ball passed over to him, and she cheered along with the kids, waving their signs enthusiastically.</p><p>Admittedly, she mostly cheered when they did, but she was starting to get the hang of this. They got a few weird looks, especially since Max kept yelling, but she really didn’t care. This was just a part of the experience.</p><p>At some point, the game was tied, and there was about a minute left. River watched with anticipation as Steve dribbled the ball down the court, and he lined up to take a shot. He missed, and she groaned, but she didn’t give up hope just yet. </p><p>With about twenty seconds left, everyone watched with bated breath as Steve took another shot. It was almost like time slowed down for a moment, and then there was a chorus of cheering as the ball went in. The clock quickly winded down until the buzzer sounded. River stood and cheered, the others quickly following her lead. </p><p>Steve grinned as his teammates lifted him up, cheering and carrying him off for the time being. As soon as it was over, she ran down the bleachers, gathering all the kids.<br/>They met Steve as he was coming out the locker room now that he was out of his uniform again. Dustin was the first to rush over and offer him a high five.</p><p>“You were so cool!” he exclaimed. “That was awesome.”</p><p>Steve chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Thanks, Henderson.” He looked up at the rest of them, astounded by just how many people showed up for him.</p><p>“You guys all really came to see me play?”</p><p>“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jonathan assured him. <br/>They walked out to the parking lot together. Most of the way out, the kids went on about how they knew he could do it, and that he’d looked so cool playing.</p><p>It was enough to make River laugh, but it was adorable how much they all looked up to him. Once they were outside, they all divided into groups to head back home.</p><p>“You coming?” Jonathan asked, and she shook her head. </p><p>“No. You guys go on. I’m gonna hang back with Steve for now,” she said. </p><p>He nodded and waved. “I’ll get El home on time,” he promised before heading back to his car.</p><p>River headed over to Steve as he was getting ready. “Hey. Uh, look, I really appreciate you and the kids showing up.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. They all insisted on going, and I couldn’t really stop them.”</p><p>He laughed and crossed his arms. “Sounds like them.” He paused as he thought of something. “Do you wanna come back to my place? I mean, we can celebrate or whatever.”</p><p>She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m cool with that.”</p><p>He grinned and got in his car, waiting for her to join and buckle in before he headed back to his house. The drive was mostly silent, save for the music, but it was nice.</p><p>It wasn’t too long before they made it there, and she followed him inside. Steve went to the kitchen and looked around until he found what he was looking for. In his hand was a bottle of wine. He grabbed cups and dragged her upstairs to his room.</p><p>She laughed and eagerly followed him up, immediately plopping onto his bed. </p><p>“Wine, huh? Fancy,” she teased.</p><p>He grinned and poured a little into both glasses before handing her one. “I did say we’d celebrate right?” He took a sip. “It doesn't taste too bad, and I really do appreciate you coming.”</p><p>“You know it wasn’t just me,” she said.<br/>“Yeah, but you’re the one I was really hoping to see.” She was a little surprised to hear that, and he stuttered for a moment. “I mean, I know I asked, but I wasn’t sure if you actually would.”<br/>River frowned and took a sip from her glass. “Hey, I’m your friend now,” she assured him. “Of course I was going to be there to support you.”<br/>Steve sat back against the headboard and nodded. “I guess I’m just glad I have you around now.” </p><p>River smiled, scooting close and taking his free hand, setting her glass aside. “I’m really happy you won. You really deserve to have something good.”</p><p>There was a slight blush on his face, and she was sure it wasn’t the wine. They’d had hardly any yet, though he seemed to be deliberating something. </p><p>It was then that River realized how close they were. She could practically smell the wine on his breath — or as little of it as there was. For some reason she didn’t totally understand, there were butterflies in her stomach. It would be so easy to just lean over and press her lips to his.</p><p>But she didn’t.</p><p>She cleared her throat and looked away, quickly changing the subject. “The signs were the kids’ ideas, by the way,” she said.</p><p>Steve nodded, though he didn’t seem mentally present for just a moment. “Yeah. I liked them. You guys did really good with them.”</p><p>River let out a slight breath of relief, offering a smile. Whatever she was feeling, she shoved it aside to deal with some other time. It could wait.</p><hr/><p>The next few days had carried on fairly routine. Steve still picked her up and took her to school, he sat with her in science, ate lunch with her, and still drove her home. </p><p>Realistically, River had a feeling she knew what she was feeling, but she didn’t want to address it. Steve was her friend, and she didn’t want to complicate things. She was fine with the way things were, so why try changing any of that?</p><p>She tried not to worry about it. Her English class seemed to drag on forever, though, and it seemed like it didn’t go unnoticed how strange she was acting.<br/>“Hey, you okay?” Next to River, Annie Hardwick was leaning over and giving her a concerned look. “No offense, but you look terrible.”</p><p>River shook her head and slumped forwards in her desk. “I’m fine. Just really trying to keep everything together before the end of the school year.”</p><p>“Oh, right. You’re graduating, huh?”</p><p>She nodded. Annie gave her a sympathetic look. “At least you’ll be done with this hellhole.”</p><p>River laughed and nodded. “Sorry you’re stuck here for another year.”</p><p>“It could be worse. At least I have next year’s productions to keep me sane in the meantime.” </p><p>She wished she could say the same, but she wasn’t sure what she was even doing after graduation. It was a lot to handle right away.</p><p>River was relieved when the final bell rang. She got up, saying goodbye to Annie, and headed out to find Steve.</p><p>She met him in the parking lot where he was waiting next to his car. They both quickly got in, silently driving towards her house.</p><p>The tension was killing her, and she wondered if he’d caught on to her feelings. Was she that obvious? The idea made her anxious. The last thing she wanted was to lose her best friend. Assuming he even considered her that. </p><p>“Thanks for coming.” Steve seemed just as bothered by the silence. “To my game, that is. It really meant a lot.”</p><p>River let her shoulders relax, glad things weren’t so awkward after all. “Yeah, don’t worry. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” She really was happy she went. Especially knowing no one else would have, minus the kids perhaps. They’d all seemed to take a liking to him after everything, and she couldn’t blame them at all.</p><p>The smile on Steve’s face was genuine and almost made her melt, but she controlled herself. “I’m really glad you were there.”</p><p>For just a moment, she felt a twinge of hope, but she didn’t want to give into it. That might just be the last thing she needed right now. False hope. Instead, she smiled and nodded, hoping he didn’t notice her acting weird at all.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Graduation was a big event, and it always seemed so far away until suddenly it wasn't. Hawthorne was still having a hard time wrapping his head around this. He was done with high school, and summer had officially started. It was crazy to believe, but it was true.</p><p>Hopper couldn't be more proud of him and River. They'd come so far in only a few months, which had come and gone like nothing. </p><p>Hawthorne had to admit, he really had a lot of people to thank for him getting this far. if it wasn't for Max, he might have really bombed math, and he wouldn't have figured out so much about his reading problem. </p><p>Because of River, he'd learned lots of different ways to approach his problems, so she deserved just as much credit.</p><p>And Hopper certainly deserved mentioning. He was so different from their father, and he'd been nothing if not supportive this whole time.</p><p>Of course, he couldn't leave out Nancy and Jonathan. They'd been together for a few months now, and life seemed great. They'd helped him with lots of things, both on a smaller and bigger scale.</p><p>It was hard putting into words how much everyone meant to him, and how much he owed these people.</p><p>Really, he didn't have any major plans right now, but he wasn't stressing about it. For now, he could revel in the fact he made it this far in his life. With the constant threat of Hawkins Lab looming over his head for so long, he never thought he’d even get this far. With that problem out of the way, it seemed like there were so many possibilities he had yet to explore. </p><p>Hopper made sure they had plenty of pictures, mainly wanting to hang them up around the house. It was embarrassing, sure, but overall, it was nice that he would think to do that. Especially knowing he wasn't always the most sentimental.</p><p>Despite Hawthorne's weak protests, Hopper ruffled his hair and hugged him. "I'm really proud of you, kiddo. You and your sister," he said, smiling. </p><p>"Thanks. That means a lot." And it did. It practically meant the world to him knowing he had a more supportive adoptive father now. One who cared about the things he did and whether he did well. Not just because it was expected of him, but also because he wanted Hawthorne to do good in life. It was more than anyone had ever done for him, aside from his sister.</p><p>With this being the last day for the seniors, everyone was crowded together, hoping to say goodbye to anyone they needed to. </p><p>Hawthorne was searching for the two people he wanted to see most right now. It wasn't so hard to spot them, and when he did, he immediately rushed over.</p><p>"So, what are the plans over in this neck of the woods?" he asked. "Any plans for the summer?" He was curious, really. They'd talked about it a little, but they hadn't had solid plans at the time.</p><p>Nancy grinned and nodded. "Yeah, actually."</p><p>"We were thinking about applying for an internship at the Hawkins Post," Jonathan said.</p><p>He couldn't help the pride swelling in his chest when he heard that. If there wasn't anything he believed, it was that they could do just about anything. After fighting off monsters from another dimension (twice, no less), the world was practically at their feet.</p><p>"What about you?" Nancy asked.</p><p>"Not sure," Hawthorne admitted. "But I think a summer job would be nice, so I'll look into that."</p><p>They smiled and nodded, taking his hands. it was still a waking dream for him, knowing this was real. He was dating the two people he'd wanted more than anything. The longing he had to endure in the short time he'd realized his feelings, and even before then, even if he hadn't realized. It was unbelievable. And maybe they hadn't been together for long, but it felt much longer, and he'd never felt so sure about anything in his life.</p><p>"My mom's having a little celebration if you and your dad want to join," Nancy said, snapping him out of his thoughts.</p><p>"Yeah, I'll let him know."</p><hr/><p>The party had gone pretty well. Maybe not super eventful, but in a nice kind of way. life had been such a roller coaster that it was nice to relax, take a breather, and slow down a little.</p><p>Being back at home was also nice, and it was easy to slip into a relaxed state. After today, he officially had the summer sprawled before him. He wasn't sure what that entailed, but he was excited nonetheless. </p><p>Interestingly, he'd been in charge of grabbing some mail, most of which consisted of bills and other adult things. He still flipped through curiously, pausing only when he saw his name. Not just his. His and River's. Curiously, he set the rest of it on the table and leaned against the counter. </p><p>His curiosity won, and he quickly tore it open. It took him a second, but he read the letter before reading again, hoping he was understanding correctly.</p><p>He rushed to River's room, making her read it so he knew he hadn't misinterpreted. Of course, she gasped, confirming he was correct.</p><p>"Do you know what this means?" she asked.</p><p>Hawthorne nodded. "Yeah. We have other family members somewhere."</p><p>She skimmed through it again, looking for something specific. "Belarus and Sweden to be exact. which means, they must have moved at some point."</p><p>It wasn't too far fetched, and Hawthorne couldn't help how excited that made him. On the other hand, there was always the possibility they weren't much better than. their father, but the risk might be worth it.</p><p>Of course, convincing Hopper was another story. </p><p>"I'm sorry. You have what? Where?" His eyes widened in shock, not sure he heard correctly.</p><p>"Look, Hop, I know you're concerned, but this could be a good thing for us," River insisted.</p><p>Hopper sighed and rubbed his neck, slumping in his chair. "No, I get that. But so soon? I mean, how do you know this is even real?" Naturally, he had some concerns, as any guardian might.</p><p>"It's worth a shot," Hawthorne added. "I mean, it's only for about two weeks or so, which is hardly much of the summer. That's a week out of, what? Three months?'</p><p>Of course, he wasn't feeling better about the whole thing, but Hopper knew more than anything that it would be hard to stop them. At least it might be better if he knew where they were rather than having them sneak off like El had.</p><p>"Fine, but only for that time frame, and we will set this up better," he said. </p><p>They cheered and shared a high five, knowing this was as much of a win as they could get. </p><hr/><p>Packing had taken some time, and by the time things were set up properly, it was about mid-June. Hawthorne was far more excited than anything else, and he was jittery nearly the whole way to the airport. Not in a bad way, really. Just from excitement.</p><p>As anyone might be upon knowing they'd be visiting relatives they only vaguely remembered, he felt awkward and nervous. He didn't know what they would be like because he didn't remember them much at all. If he thought hard enough, he could recall small things, but not nearly enough.</p><p>As was expected, Hopper was more than distressed about letting them go, but he'd come to terms with them leaving for a short period of time. He knew they probably needed this after everything with their father, and he didn't want to ruin that. Seeing them off was still hard.</p><p>Especially when Hawthorne eventually spotted who he was sure was their aunt and Uncle.</p><p>From what he could recall, and from what had been thrown in the letter, their uncle Feliks was their father's brother, but he was alarmingly different. He was a scientist and engineer, which was interesting on its own. And he lived in Sweden with his boyfriend-slash-roommate. That alone was comforting enough knowing it might be easier to talk about things happening with him and his significant others.</p><p>Their aunt, Anya, was their mother's sister, and she was a writer living in Belarus, and had been for about five years now. </p><p>Both of them seemed too good to be true, so seeing them in person was even crazier.</p><p>Hopper sighed and gave them both quick hugs. "Just remember. Be careful, don't be afraid to get a hold of me somehow if you need to. El said she'd be more than happy to be the mediator if you need to reach us," he said.</p><p>Hawthorne smiled and nodded, noticing how teary-eyed he was getting. </p><p>"I'll see you guys when you get back."</p><p>River gave him one last quick hug before she excitedly ran over to greet their aunt and uncle.</p><p>Hawthorne gave him a smile and a quick hug. "We'll be back before you know it. And then we'll tell you all about it when we get back," he promised.</p><p>Hopper ruffled his hair and nudged him forward. </p><p>It was nerve-wracking knowing he was about to launch himself into a whole other section of his life that hadn't been explored yet. But it was also exciting, and he was unbelievably happy that this opportunity had presented itself.</p><p>As the four of them boarded the plane together, he took his seat and dwelled on what might come of this. How different everything might be tomorrow, if at all, now that he was going to finally start this new chapter in his life.</p><p>For as nervous as he started out, he was feeling a lot better knowing he wasn't alone. River was on this journey with him, and more than anything, he trusted that if she was ready to take this leap of faith, he'd gladly jump in after her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Don't forget to leave kudos and a comment if you like this so far! Thanks :)</p><p>Tumblr: <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dungeons-and-demodogs">dungeons-and-demodogs</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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